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ベルセルク [Berserk] #6
Berserk, Vol. 6
Back in the day, Guts the Black Swordsman was a top slayer for The Band of the Hawk, an elite mercenary unit led by Griffith, whose calm demeanor and callow beauty belied his fighting prowess and steel will. While in a king's employ, the attraction between the king's daughter and Griffith and the growing favor of the king towards the Hawk leader raises the hackles of the king's jealous brother, who plots to have Griffith summarily assassinated. But if the plot fails, the king's brother will likely have to deal with Guts and his titanic broadsword, and the results of such confrontations are rarely pretty... or easy to clean up.
223 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 1993
422 people are currently reading
1739 people want to read
About the author
Kentaro Miura
373 books2,696 followersKentarou Miura (三浦建太郎) was born in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1966. He is left-handed. In 1976, at the early age of 10, Miura made his first Manga, entitled "Miuranger", that was published for his classmates in a school publication; the manga ended up spanning 40 volumes. In 1977, Miura created his second manga called Ken e no michi (剣への道 The Way to the Sword), using Indian ink for the first time. When he was in middle school in 1979, Miura's drawing techniques improved greatly as he started using professional drawing techniques. His first dōjinshi was published, with the help of friends, in a magazine in 1982.
That same year, in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum in high school, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets, as well as having his first dōjinshi published in a fan-produced magazine. In 1985, Miura applied for the entrance examination of an art college in Nihon University. He submitted Futanabi for examination and was granted admission. This project was later nominated Best New Author work in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Another Miura manga Noa was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine the very same year. Due to a disagreement with one of the editors, the manga was stalled and eventually dropped altogether. This is approximately where Miura's career hit a slump.
In 1988, Miura bounced back with a 48-page manga known as Berserk Prototype, as an introduction to the current Berserk fantasy world. It went on to win Miura a prize from the Comi Manga School. In 1989, after receiving a doctorate degree, Kentarou started a project titled King of Wolves (王狼, ōrō?) based on a script by Buronson, writer of Hokuto no Ken. It was published in the monthly Japanese Animal House magazine in issues 5 and 7 of that year.
In 1990, a sequel is made to Ourou entitled Ourou Den (王狼伝 ōrō den, The Legend of the Wolf King) that was published as a prequel to the original in Young Animal Magazine. In the same year, the 10th issue of Animal House witnesses the first volume of the solo project Berserk was released with a relatively limited success. Miura again collaborated with Buronson on manga titled Japan, that was published in Young Animal House from the 1st issue to the 8th of 1992, and was later released as a stand-alone tankōbon. Miura's fame grew after Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 with the release of "The Golden Age" story arc and the huge success of his masterpiece made of him one of the most prominent contemporary mangakas. At this time Miura dedicates himself solely to be working on Berserk. He has indicated, however, that he intends to publish more manga in the future.
In 1997, Miura supervised the production of 25 anime episodes of Berserk that aired in the same year on NTV. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk are also released. In 1999, Miura made minor contributions to the Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. 2004 saw the release of yet another video game adaptation entitled Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War.
Since that time, the Berserk manga has spanned 34 tankōbon with no end in sight. The series has also spawned a whole host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. In 2002, Kentarou Miura received the second place in the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award of Excellence for Berserk.[1]
Miura provided the design for the Vocaloid Kamui Gakupo, whose voice is taken from the Japanese singer and actor, Gackt.
Miura passed away on May 6, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. due to acute aortic dissection.
That same year, in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum in high school, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets, as well as having his first dōjinshi published in a fan-produced magazine. In 1985, Miura applied for the entrance examination of an art college in Nihon University. He submitted Futanabi for examination and was granted admission. This project was later nominated Best New Author work in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Another Miura manga Noa was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine the very same year. Due to a disagreement with one of the editors, the manga was stalled and eventually dropped altogether. This is approximately where Miura's career hit a slump.
In 1988, Miura bounced back with a 48-page manga known as Berserk Prototype, as an introduction to the current Berserk fantasy world. It went on to win Miura a prize from the Comi Manga School. In 1989, after receiving a doctorate degree, Kentarou started a project titled King of Wolves (王狼, ōrō?) based on a script by Buronson, writer of Hokuto no Ken. It was published in the monthly Japanese Animal House magazine in issues 5 and 7 of that year.
In 1990, a sequel is made to Ourou entitled Ourou Den (王狼伝 ōrō den, The Legend of the Wolf King) that was published as a prequel to the original in Young Animal Magazine. In the same year, the 10th issue of Animal House witnesses the first volume of the solo project Berserk was released with a relatively limited success. Miura again collaborated with Buronson on manga titled Japan, that was published in Young Animal House from the 1st issue to the 8th of 1992, and was later released as a stand-alone tankōbon. Miura's fame grew after Berserk was serialized in Young Animal in 1992 with the release of "The Golden Age" story arc and the huge success of his masterpiece made of him one of the most prominent contemporary mangakas. At this time Miura dedicates himself solely to be working on Berserk. He has indicated, however, that he intends to publish more manga in the future.
In 1997, Miura supervised the production of 25 anime episodes of Berserk that aired in the same year on NTV. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk are also released. In 1999, Miura made minor contributions to the Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. 2004 saw the release of yet another video game adaptation entitled Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War.
Since that time, the Berserk manga has spanned 34 tankōbon with no end in sight. The series has also spawned a whole host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. In 2002, Kentarou Miura received the second place in the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award of Excellence for Berserk.[1]
Miura provided the design for the Vocaloid Kamui Gakupo, whose voice is taken from the Japanese singer and actor, Gackt.
Miura passed away on May 6, 2021 at 2:48 p.m. due to acute aortic dissection.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 601 reviews
June 29, 2019
Griffith: Do you want to borrow this Kama Sutra book? *grinning like a teenager*
Griffith, literally 30 seconds later: I want you to kill a man for me... *all serious face*
***
More than that, Casca had a period... what a surprise. Manga published in 1989, by a Japanese man and he thought it was important to include a realistic representation of a woman warrior, including the fact that women have periods. I👏🏻 am👏🏻impressed👏🏻
“Must be rough... being a woman.”
Griffith, literally 30 seconds later: I want you to kill a man for me... *all serious face*
***
More than that, Casca had a period... what a surprise. Manga published in 1989, by a Japanese man and he thought it was important to include a realistic representation of a woman warrior, including the fact that women have periods. I👏🏻 am👏🏻impressed👏🏻
“Must be rough... being a woman.”
June 4, 2023
Wow, seriously i love this.
There is so much potential in this story.
It can go to many heights, The sky is the limit really.
And why the sky? we will kick down the door to the fucking heavens!
So i consider myself blessed reading this finally.
I plan to read a full manga series each year if they are as big as 37 volumes if lower i might even read two.
There is so much potential in this story.
It can go to many heights, The sky is the limit really.
And why the sky? we will kick down the door to the fucking heavens!
So i consider myself blessed reading this finally.
I plan to read a full manga series each year if they are as big as 37 volumes if lower i might even read two.
November 20, 2020
Berserk is one of the most violent and goriest manga I've ever read, but the violence and gore isn't there for shock value, instead they represent the cruel face of humanity and show how gruesome and messy war can be.
August 8, 2022
6/10 stars
Okay, I'm leaning toward Griffith being a sociopath. Hate his guts more than ever now.
Misogyny, or maybe just misunderstanding of women, is sadly rather pronounced in this volume - and that's why it doesn't get any higher rating. While more or less historically accurate for the period of late Middle Ages, with women fighting tooth and claw for some form of independence and finding it mostly in cloisters or, rarer still, on battlefield (Italian mercenaries, for example), Miura is laying it here rather thick. The treatment of Casca's plight by the author mostly as an excuse for some nude closeups is disappointing. Also, while there is a small percent of women who suffer from particularly painful periods, the overwhelming majority of female population can function quite capably even during their menstruation, thank you very much. Period does not rob one of strength, skill, or wits.
Guts is still a big clueless baby. My heart breaks for him.
Okay, I'm leaning toward Griffith being a sociopath. Hate his guts more than ever now.
Misogyny, or maybe just misunderstanding of women, is sadly rather pronounced in this volume - and that's why it doesn't get any higher rating. While more or less historically accurate for the period of late Middle Ages, with women fighting tooth and claw for some form of independence and finding it mostly in cloisters or, rarer still, on battlefield (Italian mercenaries, for example), Miura is laying it here rather thick. The treatment of Casca's plight by the author mostly as an excuse for some nude closeups is disappointing. Also, while there is a small percent of women who suffer from particularly painful periods, the overwhelming majority of female population can function quite capably even during their menstruation, thank you very much. Period does not rob one of strength, skill, or wits.
Guts is still a big clueless baby. My heart breaks for him.
January 28, 2022
The level of character development in this manga is just insane.
May 3, 2024
"فرقی نداره واقعیت داشته باشه یا نه، رویا میتونه باعث پیشرفت آدم بشه. میتونه عذابآور یا باعث مرگ آدم بشه. اما دست کشیدن از رویا و سرکوب کردن قلبی اون مثل خودکشی میمونه.
هر آدمی توی زندگی حداقل باید امیدوار باشه که بتونه جونش رو در راه خدای رویاها قربانی کنه.
زندگیای که فقط دنبال گذروندن و فردا کردنش باشه، غیر قابلقبوله."
چقدر همه چیز این مانگا انقدر خوبه...
هر آدمی توی زندگی حداقل باید امیدوار باشه که بتونه جونش رو در راه خدای رویاها قربانی کنه.
زندگیای که فقط دنبال گذروندن و فردا کردنش باشه، غیر قابلقبوله."
چقدر همه چیز این مانگا انقدر خوبه...
August 26, 2021
"With no relation to social status, class, background, whether it suits them or not, people yearn for a dream. Sustained by a dream, hurt by a dream, revived by a dream, killed by a dream. And even after being abandoned by a dream, it continues to smolder from the bottom of one's heart... probably until the verge of death... A man should envision such a lifetime once. A life spent as a martyr...to the God named "Dream"..."
June 10, 2022
Taking a break from the battlefield, to... another battlefield within the castle walls, just subtler and with (usually) less casualties. Turns out that Griffith excels at this side of the war too. And so does Miura, for that matter: I could have gone with more of the intrigue among the serpents.
Also, first seeds of the Eclipse are now sown.
Also, first seeds of the Eclipse are now sown.
July 11, 2021
2021 re-read
This volume's a tough one because there's stuff I enjoy and things I don't. Seeing the cracks show as the Hawks establish themselves is great, and the beginnings of Griffith and Guts' friendship weakening. Fantastic art as well. Sad Guts.
As someone who gets really bad periods, it's definitely not unrealistic that a period could take out Casca. However, it's also really annoying because we haven't gotten to see her shine in battle yet, so it's frustrating that the first time a villain shows up and is being sexist toward her she then immediately has to be saved (but I know she gets her revenge).
Content warnings (for Berserk overall): extreme gore, extreme violence, body horror, mutilation, psychological horror, rape (some against children), sexual assault (some against children), disturbing imagery, abuse. This chapter specifically contains the death of a child and an attempted rape against a child.
This volume's a tough one because there's stuff I enjoy and things I don't. Seeing the cracks show as the Hawks establish themselves is great, and the beginnings of Griffith and Guts' friendship weakening. Fantastic art as well. Sad Guts.
As someone who gets really bad periods, it's definitely not unrealistic that a period could take out Casca. However, it's also really annoying because we haven't gotten to see her shine in battle yet, so it's frustrating that the first time a villain shows up and is being sexist toward her she then immediately has to be saved (but I know she gets her revenge).
Content warnings (for Berserk overall): extreme gore, extreme violence, body horror, mutilation, psychological horror, rape (some against children), sexual assault (some against children), disturbing imagery, abuse. This chapter specifically contains the death of a child and an attempted rape against a child.
October 8, 2018
This was so close to being another being another perfect volume... but then a few things happened.
What’s it about?
Too many spoilers, I’d ruin everything- PASS!
Pros:
The story is interesting and gets even more intense. The writing and storytelling in general are excellent.
The art is fantastic. Like I said before, possibly the best art in manga! I love all the styles used, they fit the tone of the scenes they are used in so well.
The characters are still interesting. I like how this series makes the reader more intrigued by the characters as it goes on.
The action scenes are here and fucking brutal with the fantastic art that I mentioned. Despite this volume being more dedicated to story building it still has a good amount of action too, it’s not lacking in it.
This book is more suspenseful than many would expect a gore filled, action packed dark fantasy comic to be.
The comic relief moments work. Clearly this series is more serious in general but yeah, it still has it’s chuckle worthy moments now and then.
Though there’s not as much horror in this volume as there was in some previous volumes there is still one good horror scene and lots of gore so we still get a bit of horror.
Why not 5 stars?
I’m not accusing Miura of being sexist and I’m not some sort of SJW (hell, I’ve had far-left trolls in my reviews because I’m not PC and don’t get me started on certain books (looking at you, Nowhere Girls)) but some things in this volume could come across as sexist. I didn’t think the fan service and female nudity was a big deal (though still more than usual and admittedly a bit gratuitous) but there’s some awful dialogue about women that made me cringe. Also, I really didn’t like the scene where
Overall:
This is a really good volume and this is still my favorite manga series. This is sorta like if GoT was more interesting, had more action, was a manga, didn’t overwhelm with characters and metal AF (a mix of death metal and power metal to be specific, perhaps with some black metal influences). Despite one problem in this volume, this is great and still a series that I would highly recommend.
4/5
What’s it about?
Too many spoilers, I’d ruin everything- PASS!
Pros:
The story is interesting and gets even more intense. The writing and storytelling in general are excellent.
The art is fantastic. Like I said before, possibly the best art in manga! I love all the styles used, they fit the tone of the scenes they are used in so well.
The characters are still interesting. I like how this series makes the reader more intrigued by the characters as it goes on.
The action scenes are here and fucking brutal with the fantastic art that I mentioned. Despite this volume being more dedicated to story building it still has a good amount of action too, it’s not lacking in it.
This book is more suspenseful than many would expect a gore filled, action packed dark fantasy comic to be.
The comic relief moments work. Clearly this series is more serious in general but yeah, it still has it’s chuckle worthy moments now and then.
Though there’s not as much horror in this volume as there was in some previous volumes there is still one good horror scene and lots of gore so we still get a bit of horror.
Why not 5 stars?
I’m not accusing Miura of being sexist and I’m not some sort of SJW (hell, I’ve had far-left trolls in my reviews because I’m not PC and don’t get me started on certain books (looking at you, Nowhere Girls)) but some things in this volume could come across as sexist. I didn’t think the fan service and female nudity was a big deal (though still more than usual and admittedly a bit gratuitous) but there’s some awful dialogue about women that made me cringe. Also, I really didn’t like the scene where
Overall:
This is a really good volume and this is still my favorite manga series. This is sorta like if GoT was more interesting, had more action, was a manga, didn’t overwhelm with characters and metal AF (a mix of death metal and power metal to be specific, perhaps with some black metal influences). Despite one problem in this volume, this is great and still a series that I would highly recommend.
4/5
April 14, 2023
A slower volume but has a pretty epic scene where Guts is commanded by Griffith to assassinate the guy trying to assassinate Griffith which ends up not going very smoothly.
There's a lot more exploration of Guts's relationship with Griffith and Casca. Casca is a fantastic character.
There's a lot more exploration of Guts's relationship with Griffith and Casca. Casca is a fantastic character.
April 25, 2024
La poursuite de l'idéal
Bande-son proposée
Dans ce tome 6, Guts en apprend un peu plus sur les motifs derrière l'ambition de Griffith, chef de la troupe du Faucon. Ce meneur d'hommes étonnant qui paraît mu par des penchants opposés entre la violence assumée et l'insouciance (?), l'innocence (?) enfantine, finit enfin par apparaître d'un seul tenant, sous les espèces du rêveur. Un être qui ne se résigne pas à la fatalité d'une naissance non choisie, dans un monde empreint de déterminismes, mais place l'univers entier en jeu dans l'accomplissement de son désir profond.
'Il y a ceux qui aspirent à l'hégémonie du monde. Ceux qui consacrent leur vie à maîtriser l'épée. Ceux qui sacrifient leur vie à la recherche de leur rêve... et ceux dont le rêve réduit à néant celui des autres. [...] Qu'ils le réalisent ou non, les gens sont attachés de tout leur être à leur rêve. Soutenus, blessés, maintenus en vie par leur rêve.'
Bande-son proposée
Dans ce tome 6, Guts en apprend un peu plus sur les motifs derrière l'ambition de Griffith, chef de la troupe du Faucon. Ce meneur d'hommes étonnant qui paraît mu par des penchants opposés entre la violence assumée et l'insouciance (?), l'innocence (?) enfantine, finit enfin par apparaître d'un seul tenant, sous les espèces du rêveur. Un être qui ne se résigne pas à la fatalité d'une naissance non choisie, dans un monde empreint de déterminismes, mais place l'univers entier en jeu dans l'accomplissement de son désir profond.
'Il y a ceux qui aspirent à l'hégémonie du monde. Ceux qui consacrent leur vie à maîtriser l'épée. Ceux qui sacrifient leur vie à la recherche de leur rêve... et ceux dont le rêve réduit à néant celui des autres. [...] Qu'ils le réalisent ou non, les gens sont attachés de tout leur être à leur rêve. Soutenus, blessés, maintenus en vie par leur rêve.'
May 9, 2024
این قسمت: نجات یافتن زنان جذاب توسط مردان جذاب. ( ˘ ³˘)♥
October 26, 2024
Berserk Vol 1 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 2 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 3 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 4 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 5 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 6 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 2 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 3 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 4 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 5 ★★★★
Berserk Vol 6 ★★★★
December 30, 2024
Wish they could do these without the child rapes… that’s the second main character that’s happened to…. Done with these for a bit….
December 24, 2021
اپدیت ۳ دی ۴۰۰-
درگیریهای سیاسی و نزدیک شدن گاتس به کاسکا.
چندان قسمتهای مورد علاقه من نیست، رابطه گریفیث و شارلوت هم اینده رو به یادم میاره و حرصم میده، خیلی هم زیاد حرصم میده.
جایی که واقعا ازش لذت بردم چپتر precious thing بود.
اضافه کنم با رد شدن از پرولوگها آرت به کیفیت لحندری خودش رسیده.
درگیریهای سیاسی و نزدیک شدن گاتس به کاسکا.
چندان قسمتهای مورد علاقه من نیست، رابطه گریفیث و شارلوت هم اینده رو به یادم میاره و حرصم میده، خیلی هم زیاد حرصم میده.
جایی که واقعا ازش لذت بردم چپتر precious thing بود.
اضافه کنم با رد شدن از پرولوگها آرت به کیفیت لحندری خودش رسیده.
May 10, 2017
[This is my review for Berserk volumes 1–7]
So, this is the last volume of Berserk for me, at least for a while. I borrowed these from my buddy who is a huge fan of the series, and if he had more books, I would probably keep reading. Sadly, only the first seven volumes were published here in Russia before the publisher abandoned the project, so that's all that my friend has in borrowable paper format.
I can't really decide how I feel about Berserk, honestly. It has a lot going for it: the artwork is phenomenal, the action is solid, and it's very readable overall. This manga never feels like a chore to read, the stuff happens all the time and holds the reader's attention really well.
On the other hand, for all seven volumes, Berserk didn't manage to surprise me even once. Every plot, every dialogue, every event is extremely predictable and clichéd. You have probably seen, heard or read this story hundreds of times before. It's a story about a brooding hero who is on a quest for revenge, he's practically unstoppable in battle, he is a loner and a bit of an asshole, but later we realise that he has a good heart after all. There is no twist on top of that, all is as it seems. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is one of the reasons this series doesn't grab me.
It's a very masculine book, too, and it comes with all the bad stuff usually associated with such books. The main character literally has a sword that's three times his height, it's hilarious. Huge abs, naked bodies and giant flaming demons with horns are all over the place. There's also a lot of rape (and child rape at that), and a lot of homophobic and misogynistic slurs (many of them come from the main character), all of which may be considered natural for the world where the book is set, and yet all these things feel unnecessary and aren't handled particularly well, in my opinion. There's also a moment in this book where a strong, competent woman warrior (the only female character in the book who has at least some depth), who was also the commander of an army for a long time, loses a fight because she's having her period. And of course, this is the moment where the main character steps in and saves her. Seriously, was this manga written in 19th century?! Because sometimes it feels like it was!
So here I am. Not really enjoying this book, not really hating it. I think it's just not my thing. Continuing reading would mean that I'd have to order the rest of the volumes, and there are a lot of them (38 and counting!) — this is a huge financial commitment to a series I don't really love. Who knows, though, if I somehow get my hands on the following volumes, I might still give them a read.
So, this is the last volume of Berserk for me, at least for a while. I borrowed these from my buddy who is a huge fan of the series, and if he had more books, I would probably keep reading. Sadly, only the first seven volumes were published here in Russia before the publisher abandoned the project, so that's all that my friend has in borrowable paper format.
I can't really decide how I feel about Berserk, honestly. It has a lot going for it: the artwork is phenomenal, the action is solid, and it's very readable overall. This manga never feels like a chore to read, the stuff happens all the time and holds the reader's attention really well.
On the other hand, for all seven volumes, Berserk didn't manage to surprise me even once. Every plot, every dialogue, every event is extremely predictable and clichéd. You have probably seen, heard or read this story hundreds of times before. It's a story about a brooding hero who is on a quest for revenge, he's practically unstoppable in battle, he is a loner and a bit of an asshole, but later we realise that he has a good heart after all. There is no twist on top of that, all is as it seems. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is one of the reasons this series doesn't grab me.
It's a very masculine book, too, and it comes with all the bad stuff usually associated with such books. The main character literally has a sword that's three times his height, it's hilarious. Huge abs, naked bodies and giant flaming demons with horns are all over the place. There's also a lot of rape (and child rape at that), and a lot of homophobic and misogynistic slurs (many of them come from the main character), all of which may be considered natural for the world where the book is set, and yet all these things feel unnecessary and aren't handled particularly well, in my opinion. There's also a moment in this book where a strong, competent woman warrior (the only female character in the book who has at least some depth), who was also the commander of an army for a long time, loses a fight because she's having her period. And of course, this is the moment where the main character steps in and saves her. Seriously, was this manga written in 19th century?! Because sometimes it feels like it was!
So here I am. Not really enjoying this book, not really hating it. I think it's just not my thing. Continuing reading would mean that I'd have to order the rest of the volumes, and there are a lot of them (38 and counting!) — this is a huge financial commitment to a series I don't really love. Who knows, though, if I somehow get my hands on the following volumes, I might still give them a read.
May 2, 2018
That Guts/Casca scene though. As embarrassing as it is precious. I hope they stop arguing 24/7 now.
P.S. don’t you ever fuck with Griffith, kids. He’ll ruin your life with a pretty (scary) smile on his pretty (scary) face.
P.S. don’t you ever fuck with Griffith, kids. He’ll ruin your life with a pretty (scary) smile on his pretty (scary) face.
October 26, 2023
Another fantastic entry.
August 19, 2022
"With no relation to social status, class, background, whether it suits them or not, people yearn for a dream. Sustained by a dream, hurt by a dream, revived by a dream, killed by a dream. And even after being abandoned by a dream, it continues to smolder from the bottom of one's heart, probably until the verge of death."
Read
November 27, 2025aiuto raga ma che diamine di bellezza è questo volume (c'è il discorso di Griffith sull'amicizia e la storia di Casca)
January 12, 2018
eeeehhhh, i've got some things to say about casca's treatment here. while in previous volumes it was just the average misogynistic treatment i've come to expect in masculine stories like this, vol 6 kind of crossed the line.
sort of spoilery stuff to follow
firstly, the fact that she fainted during battle because of her period. there's no way in hell that a woman in such a high rank wouldn't be able to control or remedy this shit at this point in time. she's an adult who has been fighting for a large portion of her life, maybe even longer than she's been menstruating. she should be able to handle it by now and it's not realistic to treat her period like a handicap.
i also hate that she's constantly sexualized around guts. in a previous volume, griffith forced her to sleep with guts to keep his body temp up--while both guts and casca were naked. the reasoning for this was that "it's a woman's job to nurture men" or some bullshit like that. okay, whatever griffith. like that wasn't just some gross abuse of power on your part. now in this volume, guts needs to take care of an injured/sick casca and again strips her naked. however, this time he keeps his clothes on and just cradles her unconscious, naked, menstruating body. i don't know about you, but i've never had to strip and cuddle another naked person to break a fever. the fact that's it's been a plot point twice is just confusing. after some passage of time she wakes up, covers herself for a moment, then attacks him and her blanket falls off. there were a few gratuitous pages there where casca is completely naked, placed in sexualized poses, and is shown crying about how she doesn't want to be/didn't choose to be a woman. it's just gross and i don't like it (don't get me started on her backstory. there was enough child sexual assault to begin with, there didn't need to be more. it's just starting to feel lazy).
finally (hopefully), it seems like all of her motivations are because of griffith. there's not honor in it for her. no aspirations. she just wants to please griffith. i thought maybe she had hated guts for homophobic reasons, but evidently she's just being portrayed as an overly-emotional, jealous, clingy woman. griffith starts courting a 16-y-o princess and casca is clearly upset by this even though she shouldn't be surprised because this seems to be griffith's MO. it's just very upsetting that one of the only named female characters has no identity outside of the men in her life and that she's constantly put down and belittled because she's a woman. she doesn't seem to get any redemption or empowerment from the treatment either.
the story is starting to feel stale, and with this addition i'm not sure i want to continue. disappointing since it came so highly recommended. while it doesn't make sense that the manga started in "present day" and then launched into an epic flash-back after only a few volumes, i'm very glad that it didn't start with guts' backstory. it's beginning to be a bit predictable and tropey and i miss learning about the magical elements of the world. i think there was one mention of the magic system in this volume, and it easily could've been cut out without disrupting the rest of the story. seriously, it took up like one or two frames. i'll probably read the next couple volumes since i already have them, but if it doesn't start catching my attention again/remedy the sexism (which is highly doubtful), i'll need to DNF the series.
sort of spoilery stuff to follow
firstly, the fact that she fainted during battle because of her period. there's no way in hell that a woman in such a high rank wouldn't be able to control or remedy this shit at this point in time. she's an adult who has been fighting for a large portion of her life, maybe even longer than she's been menstruating. she should be able to handle it by now and it's not realistic to treat her period like a handicap.
i also hate that she's constantly sexualized around guts. in a previous volume, griffith forced her to sleep with guts to keep his body temp up--while both guts and casca were naked. the reasoning for this was that "it's a woman's job to nurture men" or some bullshit like that. okay, whatever griffith. like that wasn't just some gross abuse of power on your part. now in this volume, guts needs to take care of an injured/sick casca and again strips her naked. however, this time he keeps his clothes on and just cradles her unconscious, naked, menstruating body. i don't know about you, but i've never had to strip and cuddle another naked person to break a fever. the fact that's it's been a plot point twice is just confusing. after some passage of time she wakes up, covers herself for a moment, then attacks him and her blanket falls off. there were a few gratuitous pages there where casca is completely naked, placed in sexualized poses, and is shown crying about how she doesn't want to be/didn't choose to be a woman. it's just gross and i don't like it (don't get me started on her backstory. there was enough child sexual assault to begin with, there didn't need to be more. it's just starting to feel lazy).
finally (hopefully), it seems like all of her motivations are because of griffith. there's not honor in it for her. no aspirations. she just wants to please griffith. i thought maybe she had hated guts for homophobic reasons, but evidently she's just being portrayed as an overly-emotional, jealous, clingy woman. griffith starts courting a 16-y-o princess and casca is clearly upset by this even though she shouldn't be surprised because this seems to be griffith's MO. it's just very upsetting that one of the only named female characters has no identity outside of the men in her life and that she's constantly put down and belittled because she's a woman. she doesn't seem to get any redemption or empowerment from the treatment either.
the story is starting to feel stale, and with this addition i'm not sure i want to continue. disappointing since it came so highly recommended. while it doesn't make sense that the manga started in "present day" and then launched into an epic flash-back after only a few volumes, i'm very glad that it didn't start with guts' backstory. it's beginning to be a bit predictable and tropey and i miss learning about the magical elements of the world. i think there was one mention of the magic system in this volume, and it easily could've been cut out without disrupting the rest of the story. seriously, it took up like one or two frames. i'll probably read the next couple volumes since i already have them, but if it doesn't start catching my attention again/remedy the sexism (which is highly doubtful), i'll need to DNF the series.
Read
March 15, 2023Loved that this volume included a female soldier who actually has a period. Loved the scene where Guts noticed and was confused but also empathetic to what we deal with (kinda funny too).
Don’t love Griffin. I’m starting to realize he’s not the person I thought he was (considering what we know from the first volumes, I’m not surprised).
Also don’t love that they put a topless 12 year old girl in this. Like huh? Could have covered her chest with the fabric over her shoulders after it was ripped. No reason for that (I don’t care about the nudity, but not of children).
February 8, 2024
The first marked improvement in each aspect of the craft. But I especially was impressed with the scene where Griffith is overheard at the fountain by Guts and Casca. Previously, Griffith has been intentionally opaque, but with this scene we get a dip into some mature character development for all three characters.
Annoyingly, it is somewhat trampled on later, when the 80s and 90s manga tradition of just really bad writing for women comes into play. But even this became slightly more nuanced and less, basically every guy calling Casca a bitch so we know she’s Not Like Other Girls, but yet still very much sexualized like one. I did like where it ended though; Casca finally clawing a minuscule amount of agency with her backstory. Though, her sucking in battle because it’s that time of the month is so eye roll 80s.
I debated on whether, even with the much better dialogue and Griffith scene this merited a 4 star, and I think so. Mostly because the Casca chapter slighted her, but tried to be more nuanced in the end, and I honestly don’t think that’s typical of manga written when this was. I still read some that are worse, and just plain fan service.
Annoyingly, it is somewhat trampled on later, when the 80s and 90s manga tradition of just really bad writing for women comes into play. But even this became slightly more nuanced and less, basically every guy calling Casca a bitch so we know she’s Not Like Other Girls, but yet still very much sexualized like one. I did like where it ended though; Casca finally clawing a minuscule amount of agency with her backstory. Though, her sucking in battle because it’s that time of the month is so eye roll 80s.
I debated on whether, even with the much better dialogue and Griffith scene this merited a 4 star, and I think so. Mostly because the Casca chapter slighted her, but tried to be more nuanced in the end, and I honestly don’t think that’s typical of manga written when this was. I still read some that are worse, and just plain fan service.
read-manga-comics
July 25, 2020
June 18, 2023
Fantazija!
August 2, 2023
So far all the volumes are consistently good.
I’m really enjoying the story.
I’m really enjoying the story.
March 12, 2021
This was quite good! As the band of the hawk is still serving the MIDLAND ARMY, Jealousy among nobles for Griffith happens and a Lord Julius tries assassinating Griffith meanwhile he is getting it on with the princess Charlotte and so revenge and all, Guts has to take down the lord Julius and the things that transpire are bloody and all and we have this moment of Griffith where he says he considers friends as his equals who will not give on their dream even if it means to battle him and that hurt Guts. Meanwhile in some battle Casca is attacked and Guts rescues her and they fall and she tells her origin story and its so painful and well done! The manga is getting good as we learn more and more about this world and Guts and the characters are the most amazing and the ambition of Griffith is awe-inspiring!
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