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ベルセルク [Berserk] #40
Berserk, Vol. 40
Deep within the nightmare realm of Casca's dreams, Schierke and Farnese battle endless horrors to reach the dark secret that has imprisoned Casca's mind for so long.
But the dreamworld dangers are no mere phantasms of the unconscious--they are a lethal reality to the intruders from the material world!
From creator Kentaro Miura comes the latest chapter of Berserk, a sprawling adult fantasy epic of horror, humor, and fierce imagination and the inspiration for the wildly popular anime series.
But the dreamworld dangers are no mere phantasms of the unconscious--they are a lethal reality to the intruders from the material world!
From creator Kentaro Miura comes the latest chapter of Berserk, a sprawling adult fantasy epic of horror, humor, and fierce imagination and the inspiration for the wildly popular anime series.
176 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2018
115 people are currently reading
1383 people want to read
About the author
Kentaro Miura
372 books2,739 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
February 22, 2019
این جلد رو تا چپتر 357 خوندم و هنوز تموم نشده، اینکه چپتر بعدی کی بیاد هم که عمرا مشخص باشه. نیاز به تموم شدنشم نیست که بدونم چقدر خوبه کلا، فقط دلم شدیدا برای شخصیتهای این حماسه ی بی نظیر تنگ شده بود
داستان سرایی این مانگا حقیقتا که شاهکاره
داستان سرایی این مانگا حقیقتا که شاهکاره
July 20, 2021
If you're alone, if it's just your life, you can use it however you please. Wear yourself out, get cut to ribbons; doesn't matter. But when there's two, the blade grows heavy. Fighting like death no longer concerns you; it becomes a thing of the past. It's no longer just you. I threw away my way of life, relied on the strength of others, and somehow pushed on...
I am grateful. - Guts
Rest in peace, Miura.
I am grateful. - Guts
Rest in peace, Miura.
May 8, 2020
Honestly just when things were getting OMG OMG (extremely so), the storyline switched to different characters. Without the hiatus it would’ve been -even then- barely bearable but sadly, that’s not the case. It was very frustrating. Also the last few chapters were extremely short!! And we got some with little dialogue but magnificent drawings! I don’t mind their quality to drop if it means we have more chapters...
November 10, 2020
UGGH after so much time, I'm caught up, at least with the volumes, and it's SATISFYING as all hell.
And yet, now I must WAIT yet longer.
The awakening was something that brought tears to my eyes.
Such gorgeous art, equally mystifying and beautiful and hellish in turn.
And yet, now I must WAIT yet longer.
The awakening was something that brought tears to my eyes.
Such gorgeous art, equally mystifying and beautiful and hellish in turn.
October 7, 2018
You dont have a bad plot when you don't finish the plot - Kentaro Miura
April 18, 2022
Fifteen years of waiting. Fifteen years! And still, even now, even as she is back, I am tortured. Are we all here just to suffer?
Even not taking into account the events with Casca that it moved away from, this stuff with Griffith was almost the most pointless it's ever been. We could instead have shown what Rickert was up to, for instance. But no.
I'm sure this'll all look much better once we're through with the entire story, and can have an objective view of it all without this insufferable waiting. Sometime in the 2050s, if we're lucky.
Even not taking into account the events with Casca that it moved away from, this stuff with Griffith was almost the most pointless it's ever been. We could instead have shown what Rickert was up to, for instance. But no.
I'm sure this'll all look much better once we're through with the entire story, and can have an objective view of it all without this insufferable waiting. Sometime in the 2050s, if we're lucky.
December 10, 2018
SHE! IS! BACK!
HOW IS THIS STILL SO BRILLIANT, EXCITING, GROUNDBREAKING 20+ YEARS IN THE MAKING?
(the answer is talent + half a year long hiatuses in between chapters)
HOW IS THIS STILL SO BRILLIANT, EXCITING, GROUNDBREAKING 20+ YEARS IN THE MAKING?
(the answer is talent + half a year long hiatuses in between chapters)
May 29, 2021
I don't recall reading another fictional series that has changed as much like "Berserk". It started in the eighties as a savage, brooding, dark as hell (quite literally) story that for many defined how gruesome this genre could be. These days the series deals with most of the characters we are familiar with (those that have survived), but they involved with hijinks that fall into the high fantasy genre. This is now a story about adventurers sailing to the land of elves so the "king" of that land can help them navigate through the dreams of a cursed person to recover her memories. It used to be about literally battling demons to save your loved ones from being raped and devoured, or meeting a nice family only for them to get raped, dismembered and mounted on spikes by a monstruous pursuing army, or rescuing naked female villagers from a nasty cave in which far nastier trolls rape them repeatedly so the women will give birth explosively to a new brood of trolls. These days the author draws some gruesome foes almost because he should, instead of because the mood of the story demands it. In the middle of it all, our protagonist Guts, a big, brooding swordsman who when he gets into his berserker state he can't tell friend from foe, is now like an anachronism: the lost and obsolete survivor of a bygone era.
The author clearly loves his characters. He's been with them for decades, and at this point they are almost his children. Unfortunately you can no longer believe that the threats they face are really serious. Guts' posse includes a child and two teenagers who never get harmed in any significant way although the group faces nasty opponents. "Berserk" at this point is not so much a dramatic series but a way to hang out with characters you are fond of. I'm not mad about it: I'll keep reading. But it's quite clear for me that the series will end with the author's death. Are we really to believe that Guts is in any position to .
The biggest thing that has happened recently is that Guts' former war buddy and girlfriend Casca, that has spent now literally around 20 years of real life time bumbling around like a drooling moron after her mind broke at the end of the Golden Age arc, (huge spoilers) .
I can't give "Berserk" anything less than a four because the drawings are frecuently phenomenal, and many of its characters have wormed their way into my nasty, black heart.
The author clearly loves his characters. He's been with them for decades, and at this point they are almost his children. Unfortunately you can no longer believe that the threats they face are really serious. Guts' posse includes a child and two teenagers who never get harmed in any significant way although the group faces nasty opponents. "Berserk" at this point is not so much a dramatic series but a way to hang out with characters you are fond of. I'm not mad about it: I'll keep reading. But it's quite clear for me that the series will end with the author's death. Are we really to believe that Guts is in any position to .
The biggest thing that has happened recently is that Guts' former war buddy and girlfriend Casca, that has spent now literally around 20 years of real life time bumbling around like a drooling moron after her mind broke at the end of the Golden Age arc, (huge spoilers) .
I can't give "Berserk" anything less than a four because the drawings are frecuently phenomenal, and many of its characters have wormed their way into my nasty, black heart.
June 2, 2024
بسلامتی کاسکا بیدار شد
May 5, 2019
One star off because of the SHAMELESS cliffhanger.
March 19, 2020
CW: I'm gonna talk about the psychological effect of trauma
Awwww yeah, baby! We're back with more Berserk. The books are getting shorter, I'm getting older, and the characters' eyes are looking weirder, but Berserk remains a masterpiece.
At first, I thought that Guts being represented by a dog was a little too on the nose. But then I remembered that this dreamscape is supposed to be a representation of how Casca sees things. And I thought back to early on in the Golden Age arc, when Casca scolded Guts for recklessly charging into danger. She referred to Guts as a mad dog. And now it all makes sense. Get out of here, man!
Also, shout out to Berserk for being the first manga to depict rotting penis monsters. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. And I'm glad it wasn't Naruto.
I'm glad that the process of restoring Casca's mind wasn't as simple as "we got the fragments and she's better now!!!". The trauma she experienced was so deep and horrible that getting out of it in such a simple way would be a dishonest cop out.
In my studies of mental health, I've found it helpful to contextualize trauma as something similar to cosmic horror. It's an experience so horrifying that the mind can't bear to look at it all at once. It's just too much to handle the sheer scale and depth that this damage reaches. So it gets repressed, compartmentalized, and fragmented (like how most people can't see the Amygdala in Bloodborne). If the mind didn't have these defense mechanisms, it would not be able to function. It would just constantly be paralyzed by the sheer weight of the trauma. What these defenses can't always prevent, however, is that repressed experience manifesting in other ways, like dissociation or anxiety. Plus, you can run into triggers that bring forward too many of the feelings and thoughts associated with a trauma, which can lead to a breakdown like a panic attack or a defense state like dissociation.
All this is to say, trauma is some heavy ass shit. And for the most part, I think Berserk portrays it pretty honestly. Of course, Casca's case it a fantastically exaggerated version, which I do have mixed feelings about. Even down to Guts externalizing his pain as anger and aggression while Casca internalizes her pain, which mirrors the differences between how men and women tend to cope (I'm not sure this difference applies to trauma, though). But with things like triggers and repression, it feels accurate. Keep in mind, I say this as someone who has only studied and talked to survivors of trauma without having experienced it firsthand.
Finally seeing Casca return was a cathartic moment. As her memories were flooding back, I got goosbumps with what felt like every turn of the page. I only first read Berserk a few years ago, but Casca's nostalgia for the golden age rang true with my own experience. I can only imagine that being multiplied for those who have awaited this moment for a decade plus. I can only imagine how this moment would play out in an anime. The idea of actually hearing Casca finally speak again after seasons where she couldn't say a word... It would be amazing. This part of the story is hurt somewhat by Casca randomly getting weird cat eyes. Meaning that the first couple of panel where Casca is back to being herself don't really feel like we're actually looking at Casca.
Anyway, I loved how the buildup of Casca's happy memories returning is suddenly halted by the sight of Guts, which triggers her traumatic memories from the end of the golden age. The Guts of today is different from the Guts she last saw. Physically, he is scarred from head to toe. But mentally and emotionally, this is a Guts who has been to the darkest depths and back. On the surface, Guts is monster. He's still in the process of regaining his humanity that was lost in the Eclipse. He has not fully recovered from the rock bottom we saw him hit in the Black Swordsman and Lost Children. He has made a lot of progress. Guts has built up a circle of people who mutually care for each other. He's created reasons to live. But Guts is forever changed by his struggle.
With this in mind, I think it was a good choice to shift the narrative over to Griffith for a bit. At the time, people were PISSED. This meant they would have to wait around a year to find out what happens next with Casca. But in terms of how this will play out from chapter-to-chapter with regard to pacing, I think a change in perspective was the right choice. However, I would have waited to include one more chapter in this volume. First, because this volume is already the shortest yet. But also because that wraps up the group of Griffith chapters. I would have liked to see the volume end with both parties' stories being on a min-cliffhanger. But since there are currently only 2 chapters beyond the end of this volume, maybe there's something coming up that will change my opinion in retrospect.
Awwww yeah, baby! We're back with more Berserk. The books are getting shorter, I'm getting older, and the characters' eyes are looking weirder, but Berserk remains a masterpiece.
At first, I thought that Guts being represented by a dog was a little too on the nose. But then I remembered that this dreamscape is supposed to be a representation of how Casca sees things. And I thought back to early on in the Golden Age arc, when Casca scolded Guts for recklessly charging into danger. She referred to Guts as a mad dog. And now it all makes sense. Get out of here, man!
Also, shout out to Berserk for being the first manga to depict rotting penis monsters. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. And I'm glad it wasn't Naruto.
I'm glad that the process of restoring Casca's mind wasn't as simple as "we got the fragments and she's better now!!!". The trauma she experienced was so deep and horrible that getting out of it in such a simple way would be a dishonest cop out.
In my studies of mental health, I've found it helpful to contextualize trauma as something similar to cosmic horror. It's an experience so horrifying that the mind can't bear to look at it all at once. It's just too much to handle the sheer scale and depth that this damage reaches. So it gets repressed, compartmentalized, and fragmented (like how most people can't see the Amygdala in Bloodborne). If the mind didn't have these defense mechanisms, it would not be able to function. It would just constantly be paralyzed by the sheer weight of the trauma. What these defenses can't always prevent, however, is that repressed experience manifesting in other ways, like dissociation or anxiety. Plus, you can run into triggers that bring forward too many of the feelings and thoughts associated with a trauma, which can lead to a breakdown like a panic attack or a defense state like dissociation.
All this is to say, trauma is some heavy ass shit. And for the most part, I think Berserk portrays it pretty honestly. Of course, Casca's case it a fantastically exaggerated version, which I do have mixed feelings about. Even down to Guts externalizing his pain as anger and aggression while Casca internalizes her pain, which mirrors the differences between how men and women tend to cope (I'm not sure this difference applies to trauma, though). But with things like triggers and repression, it feels accurate. Keep in mind, I say this as someone who has only studied and talked to survivors of trauma without having experienced it firsthand.
Finally seeing Casca return was a cathartic moment. As her memories were flooding back, I got goosbumps with what felt like every turn of the page. I only first read Berserk a few years ago, but Casca's nostalgia for the golden age rang true with my own experience. I can only imagine that being multiplied for those who have awaited this moment for a decade plus. I can only imagine how this moment would play out in an anime. The idea of actually hearing Casca finally speak again after seasons where she couldn't say a word... It would be amazing. This part of the story is hurt somewhat by Casca randomly getting weird cat eyes. Meaning that the first couple of panel where Casca is back to being herself don't really feel like we're actually looking at Casca.
Anyway, I loved how the buildup of Casca's happy memories returning is suddenly halted by the sight of Guts, which triggers her traumatic memories from the end of the golden age. The Guts of today is different from the Guts she last saw. Physically, he is scarred from head to toe. But mentally and emotionally, this is a Guts who has been to the darkest depths and back. On the surface, Guts is monster. He's still in the process of regaining his humanity that was lost in the Eclipse. He has not fully recovered from the rock bottom we saw him hit in the Black Swordsman and Lost Children. He has made a lot of progress. Guts has built up a circle of people who mutually care for each other. He's created reasons to live. But Guts is forever changed by his struggle.
With this in mind, I think it was a good choice to shift the narrative over to Griffith for a bit. At the time, people were PISSED. This meant they would have to wait around a year to find out what happens next with Casca. But in terms of how this will play out from chapter-to-chapter with regard to pacing, I think a change in perspective was the right choice. However, I would have waited to include one more chapter in this volume. First, because this volume is already the shortest yet. But also because that wraps up the group of Griffith chapters. I would have liked to see the volume end with both parties' stories being on a min-cliffhanger. But since there are currently only 2 chapters beyond the end of this volume, maybe there's something coming up that will change my opinion in retrospect.
April 17, 2025
Ramifications
Ici, Farnese et Schierke poursuivent leur quête périlleuse dans les méandres de l'esprit de Casca, plus ténébreux à mesure qu'elles progressent. Elles en viennent à rencontrer un lieu abject qui symbolise la Première Éclipse, lieu où Griffith a voué ses compagnons d'armes à l'hécatombe, pour prix de son avènement. Les deux héroïnes doivent puiser au plus profond dans leurs ressources pour braver la nuit poisseuse et obscène qui environne le cœur du rêve de Casca.
Certaines planches m'évoquent Le huitième passager, d'autres, les animations monstrueuses de The Wall (1982) en particulier lors de la rencontre avec l'oiseau roc aussi monumental que vicieux qui représente Griffith.
Enfin, dernière note glaçante, on découvre que Griffith, "le Faucon de Lumière" et les membres de sa nouvelle troupe peuvent emprunter à leur gré les ramifications de l'arbre-monde pour de rendre dans des lieux aussi éloignés... que Elfhelm où se trouvent Guts et ses compagnons ?
Ici, Farnese et Schierke poursuivent leur quête périlleuse dans les méandres de l'esprit de Casca, plus ténébreux à mesure qu'elles progressent. Elles en viennent à rencontrer un lieu abject qui symbolise la Première Éclipse, lieu où Griffith a voué ses compagnons d'armes à l'hécatombe, pour prix de son avènement. Les deux héroïnes doivent puiser au plus profond dans leurs ressources pour braver la nuit poisseuse et obscène qui environne le cœur du rêve de Casca.
Certaines planches m'évoquent Le huitième passager, d'autres, les animations monstrueuses de The Wall (1982) en particulier lors de la rencontre avec l'oiseau roc aussi monumental que vicieux qui représente Griffith.
Enfin, dernière note glaçante, on découvre que Griffith, "le Faucon de Lumière" et les membres de sa nouvelle troupe peuvent emprunter à leur gré les ramifications de l'arbre-monde pour de rendre dans des lieux aussi éloignés... que Elfhelm où se trouvent Guts et ses compagnons ?
June 7, 2023
Schierke and Farnese are collecting the fragments of Casca's memories in her dream. Schierke's mistress comes in at the end to help. The final fragment is Casca's monster baby/fetus.
So Casca is restored! It's been like 30 volumes without her.
Unfortunately she has an emotional breakdown when she sees Guts, so he keeps his distance.
Meanwhile in Falconia:
Griffith is waging war against the various monsters that attack the countryside. He restores some Stonehenge style ancient momuments that create passageways through the world tree branches allowing their troops to cover vast distances in the blink of an eye.
So Casca is restored! It's been like 30 volumes without her.
Unfortunately she has an emotional breakdown when she sees Guts, so he keeps his distance.
Meanwhile in Falconia:
Griffith is waging war against the various monsters that attack the countryside. He restores some Stonehenge style ancient momuments that create passageways through the world tree branches allowing their troops to cover vast distances in the blink of an eye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2019
I hurt because of that cliffhanger...
I hurt.
I hurt.
May 20, 2021
Uno dei migliori manga in circolazione, che purtroppo rimarrà incompiuto.
Grazie di tutto, Kentaro Miura 💔
Grazie di tutto, Kentaro Miura 💔
July 29, 2022
You know a series is good, when it makes you feel multiple emotions. I feel scared for the characters, heart-broken for Guts and Casca, loathing for Griffith and this just goes on.
Miura has achieved something that many people cannot even fathom.
Miura has achieved something that many people cannot even fathom.
June 23, 2022
Amazing, this had some of the best art in the entire series. As well as an incredible hook. God, I hope there are some answers.
November 3, 2025
COSA STA SUCCEDENDO DAPPERTUTTO
November 8, 2025
One of the most emotional volumes for me. I can’t even explain how this made me feel. I love Casca.
5⭐️
5⭐️
April 11, 2022
کاسکاااا!!
بالاخره!
بالاخره!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2021
Hellraiser + Conan the Barbarian + Game of Thrones + Ash vs Evil Dead + Elric of Melnibone + Macbeth = Berserk.
Guts is a severely traumatized vigilante that wanders the world, throwing himself into one battle after another in hopes of finding a meaning in the tremendous suffering he's endured. His sword is his only trusted companion and he's consumed by a lust for vengeance. Griffith is a charismatic mercenary with dreams of ending a hundred year war in hopes of attaining his own kingdom. Little do his comrades and enemies know, he's not the flawless hero many believe him to be. When the paths of these two men clash, the entire world drastically evolves around the earth-shattering conflict between their indomitable wills.
A grimdark epic with compelling protagonists, stomach-churning horror, heartbreaking drama and a lovecraftian sense of metaphysical worldbuilding that's as fascinating as it is terrifying. Berserk has been my favorite manga, fantasy story and perhaps favorite story ever made for over a decade now and I was really sad to hear that the man behind the masterpiece passed away earlier this year.
Berserk is infamous for being the most gratuitously dark, brutal, shocking and depressing fantasy story ever written, but it is also rich with intense human emotion, philosophical depth, perseverance through unimaginable suffering and horrifyingly realistic depictions of psychological trauma. The series tackles the complex nature of morality vs. primal nature, fate and causality vs. free will, resilience against soulcrushing trauma that would cause most people to become broken or twisted. The definitions of good an evil are blurred beyond recognition, the heroes are just as flawed and capable of terrible deeds as the villains. The lead characters Guts and Griffith consistently challenge these themes and definitions through their shocking yet horrifyingly human actions.
This manga has inspired many famous works of art that are popular in today’s media such as the Dark Souls franchise, Final Fantasy, Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Castlevania, as well as countless fantasy novels, comics, manga, movies, tv shows, video games, musicians, artists, illustrators and so much more.
Miura inspired me as well and I regard him for being the person who taught me just how influential, meaningful and life changing art and literature can be when I first read his series over a decade ago. He changed the way I view entertainment and taught me how to appreciate the deeper meanings in everything I experience.
Berserk is to me what Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is to millions of others.
Rest In Peace to a legendary man.
***
Above is my completely spoiler free review showing my appreciation for this series and its characters.
Below is a review of the entire series, broken down arc by arc. I originally wrote these individual reviews back during my first reading of the series, so keep that in mind. Each part contains mild spoilers, I would advise not looking any further than the arcs you’re currently reading or have already read.
***
The Black Swordsman Arc: Volumes 1-3
The first arc is only the tip of the iceberg of a very complex, dark and violent tragedy. If you find yourself to be not too impressed with the first volume, I highly recommend reading until at least volume 4 before deciding if this series is for you or not. The first three volumes serve as an interlude to help prepare you for the atrocities to come and may seem somewhat underwhelming in terms of plot, but believe me when I say the payoff is highly rewarding and memorable.
The Black Swordsman arc is awesome for fans returning to the series or rereading the series, but it often gives newcomers the wrong impression. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just extremely different from the rest of the series and it’s set in the middle of the story rather than the beginning. This is done to set the dark tone of the series, bombarding you with shocking and upsetting content to make sure you know what you’re getting into before delving back to the beginning. For newcomers, this arc is a confusing yet exciting sword and sorcery tale of a vengeful barbarian warrior hunting demons in hopes of settling the score with his mortal enemy Griffith, and the evil lovecraftian beings that govern the world from the abyss known only as the Godhand. For returning readers, the Black Swordsman arc is much deeper than it seems, packed with genius foreshadowing, subtle character depth and truly impressive worldbuilding that will probably fly over the heads of newcomers.
Guts seems like a simplistic, edgy anti-hero at first glance, but he's so much more than that. Guts is one of the greatest characters the fantasy genre has to offer. Sigmund Freud could probably write a novel-length psychological analysis of this severely troubled and broken man. Guts is more complex than he leads people to believe as well. He's not a sociopathic antihero, he's a man that has no choice but to lie to himself to keep his emotions from crushing his spirit and getting innocent people involved with his deadly affairs. He's cruel and harsh for the greater good. It's the only way he can keep himself from going insane and continue to put up a good fight against terrifying creatures that are far stronger than he is. There's a bit of a joke in the Berserk community that says that no matter how bad your life might be, Guts will always have it worse. It's really not that hard to believe after you've read a bit of the series. His life was one big catastrophe literally from the moment he was born.
Not to mention his rival Griffith who is equally complex and incredibly rich with psychological depth, but there will be more on that as you delve further in. I would strongly recommend this series for hardcore fans of fantasy and horror, so long as you're prepared to be traumatized for life by the disgustingly harsh nature of its content.
This arc mainly serves to set up a lot of future plot points by introducing us to the Behilit, the God Hand, and the fact that even the demonic apostles are capable of emotions and having a family. Nothing is as it seems and no one is safe or innocent. It might not seem like it in the beginning, but the Black Swordsman arc is arguably one of the most important as it solidifies the themes of struggle, survival and wavering humanity that Guts deals with on a daily basis and sets up the flow of the rest of the story. It peels back the layers and reveals little by little how Guts grew up to be such a mentally broken and morally outraged character. It makes you sympathize with him and understand why he acts the way he does.
***
The Golden Age Arc: Volumes 4-13
The Golden Age Arc is where the story truly begins.
We return to the origins of Guts and learn about the series of battles, traumas and conflicts he gets himself wrapped in one after the other. We get introduced to a wonderfully intense group of mercenaries that go by the name of The Band of the Hawk. Among the Hawks are Casca the hot-headed female warrior, Judeau the smooth talking assassin, Corkus the drunken realist, Pippin the gentle giant, Rickert the blacksmith and of course, the infamous leader of men named Griffith.
Griffith is the most interesting of the motley crew as he is very complex and unpredictable. He has a playful side, a merciless side, a charismatic side and a childish yet vulnerable side. He can't be put into any single category. The gallant and elegant master of the sword has more layers than an onion. His brotherly rivalry with Guts is also a lovely and dementedly joyful sight to behold. This is the major turning point of the series and it only gets better and better from here.
After a life of grief and trauma, Guts reluctantly joins Griffith on his quest to attain his own kingdom while simultaneously struggling to come to terms with his own identity. We get to see a side of Guts we’ve never experienced up until this point. We see his vulnerability, his wounded soul, his ability to show affection to others, his role as a battle commander, and his blossoming relationships with Casca and Griffith; the two people who end up having the biggest impact on his entire life for very different reasons.
This is the arc that has the most in common with Game of Thrones, focusing on personal character dramas rather than constant brutal battles, action and lovecraftian horror being thrown at you left and right. While the battles and action sequences in Berserk are amazing, where it truly shines are its quiet moments of vulnerability where we get to see the most raw, heart-wrenching and introspective emotions of the severely damaged cast of protagonists.
Guts is an unstoppable badass, but he constantly suffers and contemplates his meaning in life. His sheer strength and relentless rage can’t hide the wounded little boy deep inside him. Casca is more fierce than most male soldiers on the battlefield and she has an attitude to match, so when we see her more feminine and loving side it makes her complex journey of self-realization all the more powerful. Griffith is a godlike war hero that millions of people worship, yet he has the deepest flaws, insecurities and inner darkness than any other character in the entire series. Most of all, they’re painfully human. These three represent the absolute best and absolute worst in all of us. That’s what makes them equally compelling, empathetic and utterly repulsive at times.
After an incredible display of war, romance, political drama, moral and philosophical musings, heartbreaking trauma, fascinating worldbuilding and chilling foreshadowing, the Golden Age arc ends on the single most shocking, depressing and mind blowing finale I’ve ever witnessed in a fantasy story. The Eclipse marks the major turning point in the story from Game of Thrones style medieval drama to the lovecraftian nightmare fest that we only get a small taste of in the Black Swordsman arc.
***
The Lost Children Arc: 14 - 16
Ah, the end of the Golden Age and the beginning of the Age of Darkness. This is where the horror elements of Berserk are dialed up to the absolute extreme. You thought the story was gruesome and horrifying before? You haven't seen anything yet. The Lost Children arc is not only arguably the most gruesome of them all, but it also completely wrecks your emotions as well. The relationship between Guts and Jill shows us that Guts is still in touch with his human side after the atrocities of the Black Swordsman arc may have convinced us otherwise. It solidifies his bond with his unlikely companion Puck, explores the lasting effects of trauma inflicted on him by the Eclipse and by Casca's heartbreaking condition and there's a rollercoaster of action, horror and small glimpses of hope in a sea of darkness. I've always loved how Jill and Puck brought Guts's humanity back to the surface after being stuck in such a devastating and harmful state for so long. This arc also humanizes the act of becoming an apostle which adds a layer of emotional depth to their depraved existence and makes the antagonists feel like more than simple fodder for Guts to slash through.
The Lost Children arc feels a bit underwhelming in a few areas compared to the shocking finale of the Golden Age arc, but the ending of this arc finishes with quite a few shockers of its own to bring back the hype and despair of the series. This arc is one of my favorites for a few reasons. It shows that apostles can be victims in their own right by exploring the sad life of Rosine who only sought to escape abuse and had to resort to inhumane methods to bring this about. This is made further relatable by contrasting her situation with that of Jill's as she's also severely abused by her father and wants nothing more than to escape from that life.
It also shows that Guts still has a human side. Despite how broken and full of hate and bloodlust he is, he still cares for Jill and throws himself in harm's way multiple times to protect her. Considering how tragic and terrifying Guts's childhood was, it's not too surprising that he would have a soft spot for kids that also happen to be suffering from abuse.
After the arc is done, we're thrown into another great arc which introduces us to the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Farnese and Serpico are fascinating characters, Azan is a cool guy and the shadiness of the group as a whole raises a lot of red flags. Guts and Puck also become much closer during this time which solidifies their companionship.
The Lost Children arc is often written off as a short filler mini-arc, but I think it serves its purpose more than well in just 3 volumes.
***
The Conviction Arc: 17 - 21
My favorite arc of Berserk in many ways.
The amount of story packed into these few volumes is incredible. Griffith is manipulating people's dreams from the beyond while a plague ravages the entire country. The people see this as a sign that the foretold messiah will soon come to save the world from darkness when really it's just Griffith leading them to believe that. After being visited by an omen in his dreams, Guts decides to return to Casca after not seeing her for two years because he's been going on a murderous rampage. After the tragic outcome of the Lost Children arc, Guts begins to accept that his quest for vengeance is futile, and that there are more important things in his life than violence.
This is where the arc gets really emotional. Figuratively speaking, Guts receives the harsh scolding and the much-needed therapy he's needed for a long time from Godo the blacksmith. Rickert, Erika and Puck are also there to knock some sense back into Guts's thick skull, giving him the mental and emotional support and guidance he desperately needed to get back on his feet after the tragedy of the eclipse. After regaining his compassion and conviction, Guts sets out to find the missing Caska, the woman who set the spark on his self-destructive quest in the first place to try and redeem his life from all the horrible things he’s been through and all the detestable things he’s done in the name of love.
We're then introduced to a horrifying priest that loves unreasonable torture, genocide and bashing people's brains out with a bible. The Holy Iron Chain Knights mean business and there's tragedy and death all over the world. Guts's path to redemption, the mad religion dedicated to a false messiah, the foreshadowing of Griffith's return, this arc is packed full of all kinds of heavy emotions.
On top of all the heart-wrenching emotions in this arc, it’s also by far the most terrifying. Religious tyranny, satanic orgy cults, cannibalism do to starvation, extreme torture methods using real historical tools such as the Judas Cradle, breaking wheels, rack torture, flaying and burning at the stake, etc. And that’s just a small taste.
We’re introduced to a group of prostitutes with strong character development. Luca is a saint and Nina is a sinner, yet Luca brings everyone together and loves them all unconditionally. Though she’s a prostitute, she has more love, kindness and motherly instinct in her than the entirety of the Holy Iron Chain Knights and their religious order which makes me respect her character a lot.
Overall an explosive arc that’s equally horrifying and beautiful. It has one of the most satisfying reunions and redemption plots of all time.
***
The Millennium Falcon Arc: Volumes 22-35
After the shocking ending of the previous arc, Griffith returns to the spotlight once more.
This is the most complex arc of the series as it's split into multiple perspectives which hasn’t really been done up until this point. Guts has reunited with his beloved Casca and her mind is still in shambles from the trauma she experienced during the Eclipse. With a new band of loyal companions at his side, Guts begins to learn how to trust, grow and love as he once did during his time in the Band of the Hawk while struggling to reconcile with his inner darkness and his hatred towards his former friend Griffith.
Schierke is a young witch that serves to explain the more magical, fantastical and metaphysical elements of the world of Berserk while aiding Guts’s crew in their journey to fight against the alarming uprising of demonic creatures overrunning the land.
The Kushan Empire has risen to power and is waging war with the unguarded kingdom of Midland. As if the deadly plague, religious crusades and rampant demon invasions weren’t enough, Emperor Ganishka of the Kushan Empire is making life an even greater hell for anyone that’s in his path of conquest.
Griffith is back in the human world, building an army of knights, demons, apostles and any other willing companions in his journey to 'save' the world from war to fulfill his dream of attaining his own kingdom no matter the sacrifices and immoral actions he must commit to make his dream a reality.
Not my favorite arc, but definitely the most chaotic, action-packed and lore heavy of them all. The fantasy, paranormal and existential elements of the story really ramp up in this arc and there’s all kinds of mindblowing chaos at work.
***
The Fantasia Arc: Volumes 36-41
It’s difficult to review this arc because it was left unfinished after the author’s untimely passing.
The Fantasia arc marked another major turning point of the series. If Lost Children and Conviction were the age of darkness, this was the beginning of the age of misguided light. Griffith changed the world in truly remarkable ways, both fascinating and terrible.
Guts and his crew set out to Elf Island to restore Casca’s memories before deciding how to settle the score with Griffith once and for all. The arc was tying up loose ends at a very nice pace, answering questions that many readers have been contemplating since the beginning of the series such as the identity of Skull Knight, the origins of the God Hand, Griffith true motives, how Casca confronts her trauma, the purpose of the Berserker Armor, Guts finding the answer to his life’s purpose, the secret history and lore of the greater universe and much more.
Just as the arc was heading for a climactic buildup to the finale, it ends on a tear jerking cliffhanger that serves as the untimely ending of the series as a whole. It’s a shame that Miura’s masterpiece wasn’t able to be finished, but he’s created the most influential manga of all time that heavily impacted millions of reads and thousands of artists all over the world.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
Guts is a severely traumatized vigilante that wanders the world, throwing himself into one battle after another in hopes of finding a meaning in the tremendous suffering he's endured. His sword is his only trusted companion and he's consumed by a lust for vengeance. Griffith is a charismatic mercenary with dreams of ending a hundred year war in hopes of attaining his own kingdom. Little do his comrades and enemies know, he's not the flawless hero many believe him to be. When the paths of these two men clash, the entire world drastically evolves around the earth-shattering conflict between their indomitable wills.
A grimdark epic with compelling protagonists, stomach-churning horror, heartbreaking drama and a lovecraftian sense of metaphysical worldbuilding that's as fascinating as it is terrifying. Berserk has been my favorite manga, fantasy story and perhaps favorite story ever made for over a decade now and I was really sad to hear that the man behind the masterpiece passed away earlier this year.
Berserk is infamous for being the most gratuitously dark, brutal, shocking and depressing fantasy story ever written, but it is also rich with intense human emotion, philosophical depth, perseverance through unimaginable suffering and horrifyingly realistic depictions of psychological trauma. The series tackles the complex nature of morality vs. primal nature, fate and causality vs. free will, resilience against soulcrushing trauma that would cause most people to become broken or twisted. The definitions of good an evil are blurred beyond recognition, the heroes are just as flawed and capable of terrible deeds as the villains. The lead characters Guts and Griffith consistently challenge these themes and definitions through their shocking yet horrifyingly human actions.
This manga has inspired many famous works of art that are popular in today’s media such as the Dark Souls franchise, Final Fantasy, Attack on Titan, Evangelion, Castlevania, as well as countless fantasy novels, comics, manga, movies, tv shows, video games, musicians, artists, illustrators and so much more.
Miura inspired me as well and I regard him for being the person who taught me just how influential, meaningful and life changing art and literature can be when I first read his series over a decade ago. He changed the way I view entertainment and taught me how to appreciate the deeper meanings in everything I experience.
Berserk is to me what Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is to millions of others.
Rest In Peace to a legendary man.
***
Above is my completely spoiler free review showing my appreciation for this series and its characters.
Below is a review of the entire series, broken down arc by arc. I originally wrote these individual reviews back during my first reading of the series, so keep that in mind. Each part contains mild spoilers, I would advise not looking any further than the arcs you’re currently reading or have already read.
***
The Black Swordsman Arc: Volumes 1-3
The first arc is only the tip of the iceberg of a very complex, dark and violent tragedy. If you find yourself to be not too impressed with the first volume, I highly recommend reading until at least volume 4 before deciding if this series is for you or not. The first three volumes serve as an interlude to help prepare you for the atrocities to come and may seem somewhat underwhelming in terms of plot, but believe me when I say the payoff is highly rewarding and memorable.
The Black Swordsman arc is awesome for fans returning to the series or rereading the series, but it often gives newcomers the wrong impression. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just extremely different from the rest of the series and it’s set in the middle of the story rather than the beginning. This is done to set the dark tone of the series, bombarding you with shocking and upsetting content to make sure you know what you’re getting into before delving back to the beginning. For newcomers, this arc is a confusing yet exciting sword and sorcery tale of a vengeful barbarian warrior hunting demons in hopes of settling the score with his mortal enemy Griffith, and the evil lovecraftian beings that govern the world from the abyss known only as the Godhand. For returning readers, the Black Swordsman arc is much deeper than it seems, packed with genius foreshadowing, subtle character depth and truly impressive worldbuilding that will probably fly over the heads of newcomers.
Guts seems like a simplistic, edgy anti-hero at first glance, but he's so much more than that. Guts is one of the greatest characters the fantasy genre has to offer. Sigmund Freud could probably write a novel-length psychological analysis of this severely troubled and broken man. Guts is more complex than he leads people to believe as well. He's not a sociopathic antihero, he's a man that has no choice but to lie to himself to keep his emotions from crushing his spirit and getting innocent people involved with his deadly affairs. He's cruel and harsh for the greater good. It's the only way he can keep himself from going insane and continue to put up a good fight against terrifying creatures that are far stronger than he is. There's a bit of a joke in the Berserk community that says that no matter how bad your life might be, Guts will always have it worse. It's really not that hard to believe after you've read a bit of the series. His life was one big catastrophe literally from the moment he was born.
Not to mention his rival Griffith who is equally complex and incredibly rich with psychological depth, but there will be more on that as you delve further in. I would strongly recommend this series for hardcore fans of fantasy and horror, so long as you're prepared to be traumatized for life by the disgustingly harsh nature of its content.
This arc mainly serves to set up a lot of future plot points by introducing us to the Behilit, the God Hand, and the fact that even the demonic apostles are capable of emotions and having a family. Nothing is as it seems and no one is safe or innocent. It might not seem like it in the beginning, but the Black Swordsman arc is arguably one of the most important as it solidifies the themes of struggle, survival and wavering humanity that Guts deals with on a daily basis and sets up the flow of the rest of the story. It peels back the layers and reveals little by little how Guts grew up to be such a mentally broken and morally outraged character. It makes you sympathize with him and understand why he acts the way he does.
***
The Golden Age Arc: Volumes 4-13
The Golden Age Arc is where the story truly begins.
We return to the origins of Guts and learn about the series of battles, traumas and conflicts he gets himself wrapped in one after the other. We get introduced to a wonderfully intense group of mercenaries that go by the name of The Band of the Hawk. Among the Hawks are Casca the hot-headed female warrior, Judeau the smooth talking assassin, Corkus the drunken realist, Pippin the gentle giant, Rickert the blacksmith and of course, the infamous leader of men named Griffith.
Griffith is the most interesting of the motley crew as he is very complex and unpredictable. He has a playful side, a merciless side, a charismatic side and a childish yet vulnerable side. He can't be put into any single category. The gallant and elegant master of the sword has more layers than an onion. His brotherly rivalry with Guts is also a lovely and dementedly joyful sight to behold. This is the major turning point of the series and it only gets better and better from here.
After a life of grief and trauma, Guts reluctantly joins Griffith on his quest to attain his own kingdom while simultaneously struggling to come to terms with his own identity. We get to see a side of Guts we’ve never experienced up until this point. We see his vulnerability, his wounded soul, his ability to show affection to others, his role as a battle commander, and his blossoming relationships with Casca and Griffith; the two people who end up having the biggest impact on his entire life for very different reasons.
This is the arc that has the most in common with Game of Thrones, focusing on personal character dramas rather than constant brutal battles, action and lovecraftian horror being thrown at you left and right. While the battles and action sequences in Berserk are amazing, where it truly shines are its quiet moments of vulnerability where we get to see the most raw, heart-wrenching and introspective emotions of the severely damaged cast of protagonists.
Guts is an unstoppable badass, but he constantly suffers and contemplates his meaning in life. His sheer strength and relentless rage can’t hide the wounded little boy deep inside him. Casca is more fierce than most male soldiers on the battlefield and she has an attitude to match, so when we see her more feminine and loving side it makes her complex journey of self-realization all the more powerful. Griffith is a godlike war hero that millions of people worship, yet he has the deepest flaws, insecurities and inner darkness than any other character in the entire series. Most of all, they’re painfully human. These three represent the absolute best and absolute worst in all of us. That’s what makes them equally compelling, empathetic and utterly repulsive at times.
After an incredible display of war, romance, political drama, moral and philosophical musings, heartbreaking trauma, fascinating worldbuilding and chilling foreshadowing, the Golden Age arc ends on the single most shocking, depressing and mind blowing finale I’ve ever witnessed in a fantasy story. The Eclipse marks the major turning point in the story from Game of Thrones style medieval drama to the lovecraftian nightmare fest that we only get a small taste of in the Black Swordsman arc.
***
The Lost Children Arc: 14 - 16
Ah, the end of the Golden Age and the beginning of the Age of Darkness. This is where the horror elements of Berserk are dialed up to the absolute extreme. You thought the story was gruesome and horrifying before? You haven't seen anything yet. The Lost Children arc is not only arguably the most gruesome of them all, but it also completely wrecks your emotions as well. The relationship between Guts and Jill shows us that Guts is still in touch with his human side after the atrocities of the Black Swordsman arc may have convinced us otherwise. It solidifies his bond with his unlikely companion Puck, explores the lasting effects of trauma inflicted on him by the Eclipse and by Casca's heartbreaking condition and there's a rollercoaster of action, horror and small glimpses of hope in a sea of darkness. I've always loved how Jill and Puck brought Guts's humanity back to the surface after being stuck in such a devastating and harmful state for so long. This arc also humanizes the act of becoming an apostle which adds a layer of emotional depth to their depraved existence and makes the antagonists feel like more than simple fodder for Guts to slash through.
The Lost Children arc feels a bit underwhelming in a few areas compared to the shocking finale of the Golden Age arc, but the ending of this arc finishes with quite a few shockers of its own to bring back the hype and despair of the series. This arc is one of my favorites for a few reasons. It shows that apostles can be victims in their own right by exploring the sad life of Rosine who only sought to escape abuse and had to resort to inhumane methods to bring this about. This is made further relatable by contrasting her situation with that of Jill's as she's also severely abused by her father and wants nothing more than to escape from that life.
It also shows that Guts still has a human side. Despite how broken and full of hate and bloodlust he is, he still cares for Jill and throws himself in harm's way multiple times to protect her. Considering how tragic and terrifying Guts's childhood was, it's not too surprising that he would have a soft spot for kids that also happen to be suffering from abuse.
After the arc is done, we're thrown into another great arc which introduces us to the Holy Iron Chain Knights. Farnese and Serpico are fascinating characters, Azan is a cool guy and the shadiness of the group as a whole raises a lot of red flags. Guts and Puck also become much closer during this time which solidifies their companionship.
The Lost Children arc is often written off as a short filler mini-arc, but I think it serves its purpose more than well in just 3 volumes.
***
The Conviction Arc: 17 - 21
My favorite arc of Berserk in many ways.
The amount of story packed into these few volumes is incredible. Griffith is manipulating people's dreams from the beyond while a plague ravages the entire country. The people see this as a sign that the foretold messiah will soon come to save the world from darkness when really it's just Griffith leading them to believe that. After being visited by an omen in his dreams, Guts decides to return to Casca after not seeing her for two years because he's been going on a murderous rampage. After the tragic outcome of the Lost Children arc, Guts begins to accept that his quest for vengeance is futile, and that there are more important things in his life than violence.
This is where the arc gets really emotional. Figuratively speaking, Guts receives the harsh scolding and the much-needed therapy he's needed for a long time from Godo the blacksmith. Rickert, Erika and Puck are also there to knock some sense back into Guts's thick skull, giving him the mental and emotional support and guidance he desperately needed to get back on his feet after the tragedy of the eclipse. After regaining his compassion and conviction, Guts sets out to find the missing Caska, the woman who set the spark on his self-destructive quest in the first place to try and redeem his life from all the horrible things he’s been through and all the detestable things he’s done in the name of love.
We're then introduced to a horrifying priest that loves unreasonable torture, genocide and bashing people's brains out with a bible. The Holy Iron Chain Knights mean business and there's tragedy and death all over the world. Guts's path to redemption, the mad religion dedicated to a false messiah, the foreshadowing of Griffith's return, this arc is packed full of all kinds of heavy emotions.
On top of all the heart-wrenching emotions in this arc, it’s also by far the most terrifying. Religious tyranny, satanic orgy cults, cannibalism do to starvation, extreme torture methods using real historical tools such as the Judas Cradle, breaking wheels, rack torture, flaying and burning at the stake, etc. And that’s just a small taste.
We’re introduced to a group of prostitutes with strong character development. Luca is a saint and Nina is a sinner, yet Luca brings everyone together and loves them all unconditionally. Though she’s a prostitute, she has more love, kindness and motherly instinct in her than the entirety of the Holy Iron Chain Knights and their religious order which makes me respect her character a lot.
Overall an explosive arc that’s equally horrifying and beautiful. It has one of the most satisfying reunions and redemption plots of all time.
***
The Millennium Falcon Arc: Volumes 22-35
After the shocking ending of the previous arc, Griffith returns to the spotlight once more.
This is the most complex arc of the series as it's split into multiple perspectives which hasn’t really been done up until this point. Guts has reunited with his beloved Casca and her mind is still in shambles from the trauma she experienced during the Eclipse. With a new band of loyal companions at his side, Guts begins to learn how to trust, grow and love as he once did during his time in the Band of the Hawk while struggling to reconcile with his inner darkness and his hatred towards his former friend Griffith.
Schierke is a young witch that serves to explain the more magical, fantastical and metaphysical elements of the world of Berserk while aiding Guts’s crew in their journey to fight against the alarming uprising of demonic creatures overrunning the land.
The Kushan Empire has risen to power and is waging war with the unguarded kingdom of Midland. As if the deadly plague, religious crusades and rampant demon invasions weren’t enough, Emperor Ganishka of the Kushan Empire is making life an even greater hell for anyone that’s in his path of conquest.
Griffith is back in the human world, building an army of knights, demons, apostles and any other willing companions in his journey to 'save' the world from war to fulfill his dream of attaining his own kingdom no matter the sacrifices and immoral actions he must commit to make his dream a reality.
Not my favorite arc, but definitely the most chaotic, action-packed and lore heavy of them all. The fantasy, paranormal and existential elements of the story really ramp up in this arc and there’s all kinds of mindblowing chaos at work.
***
The Fantasia Arc: Volumes 36-41
It’s difficult to review this arc because it was left unfinished after the author’s untimely passing.
The Fantasia arc marked another major turning point of the series. If Lost Children and Conviction were the age of darkness, this was the beginning of the age of misguided light. Griffith changed the world in truly remarkable ways, both fascinating and terrible.
Guts and his crew set out to Elf Island to restore Casca’s memories before deciding how to settle the score with Griffith once and for all. The arc was tying up loose ends at a very nice pace, answering questions that many readers have been contemplating since the beginning of the series such as the identity of Skull Knight, the origins of the God Hand, Griffith true motives, how Casca confronts her trauma, the purpose of the Berserker Armor, Guts finding the answer to his life’s purpose, the secret history and lore of the greater universe and much more.
Just as the arc was heading for a climactic buildup to the finale, it ends on a tear jerking cliffhanger that serves as the untimely ending of the series as a whole. It’s a shame that Miura’s masterpiece wasn’t able to be finished, but he’s created the most influential manga of all time that heavily impacted millions of reads and thousands of artists all over the world.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
May 20, 2021
Update: I'm sad to hear the creator of this work has passed. He will be missed. This manga was one of the greats
She's back! Wait. She only gets like ten pages and then we jump to another battle?
Screw you, Miura.
She's back! Wait. She only gets like ten pages and then we jump to another battle?
Screw you, Miura.
December 11, 2019
4.75 because once again Miura has teased us.
May 2, 2025
4.75⭐️
CASCA IS FREEEEE (I hope 😭😭)
CASCA IS FREEEEE (I hope 😭😭)
November 2, 2023
“Our scars remind us of where we’ve been, but they don’t dictate where we’re going.”
September 30, 2019
I can't believe I've caught up on all of Berserk...
In addition to this volume I've read chs 358 & 359.
I'm glad we have Casca back but it still hurts.
Across the world Griffith is building up military dictatorship, fun times.
In addition to this volume I've read chs 358 & 359.
I'm glad we have Casca back but it still hurts.
Across the world Griffith is building up military dictatorship, fun times.
June 15, 2021
**This is a review for the whole series and not just this volume. **
I had heard about Berserk in my teens and had a friend start reading it but was out of sorts with fantasy at the time and kept away.
A couple of years later when Demon Souls and Dark Souls had taken off, with blatant nods to the manga throughout, and I myself had become a keen horror fan, I thought then about diving in but again put it off, this time due to wanting to read the whole series upon completion so I wouldn’t have to wait patiently between gaps.
With the sudden and tragic death of Kentaro Miura, I imagine that I wasn’t alone in finally taking the plunge to read what may be his unfinished opus.
There’s no getting away how grimdark and at times edgy the story tries to be in the beginning where Miura still seems to be finding his feet storytelling wise if not in art. From the get go, it is an absolutely gorgeous book - wether in showing moments of beauty or their polar opposites.
Guts himself goes through quite a dramatic change of character in the first few volumes before he’s really set in stone…and then the real character moments can happen.
Reading the series as a whole (or as close as we may ever get), I found myself incapable of taking a break between volumes and was spurred on not just by some really fantastic cliffhanger endings but also a drive to really see these characters come together. Early on Miura seeds new players in Guts life seemingly at random and who originally feel like just face characters to be probably killed off in horrible and disgusting ways. But before you know it, there is a fellowship of characters joining Guts on his journey but more importantly on their own too. The levity and heart they bring to the story not only makes Berserk better, but Guts as a character too.
The only partial lull I really felt in the series was probably around the Sea God Chapters as the fighting and story didn’t really seem to serve much of a use beyond tying up
the Berserk gang before getting to the Elf Island so that the rest of the cast could play out their stories elsewhere.
I could go on and on about this series and I am saddened that this may be the end, but in a lot of ways it would feel right to end the series here. Ultimately this may have started as a story of revenge but has led to something much grander and fantastical and should be lauded as one of the all time great fantasy series.
I had heard about Berserk in my teens and had a friend start reading it but was out of sorts with fantasy at the time and kept away.
A couple of years later when Demon Souls and Dark Souls had taken off, with blatant nods to the manga throughout, and I myself had become a keen horror fan, I thought then about diving in but again put it off, this time due to wanting to read the whole series upon completion so I wouldn’t have to wait patiently between gaps.
With the sudden and tragic death of Kentaro Miura, I imagine that I wasn’t alone in finally taking the plunge to read what may be his unfinished opus.
There’s no getting away how grimdark and at times edgy the story tries to be in the beginning where Miura still seems to be finding his feet storytelling wise if not in art. From the get go, it is an absolutely gorgeous book - wether in showing moments of beauty or their polar opposites.
Guts himself goes through quite a dramatic change of character in the first few volumes before he’s really set in stone…and then the real character moments can happen.
Reading the series as a whole (or as close as we may ever get), I found myself incapable of taking a break between volumes and was spurred on not just by some really fantastic cliffhanger endings but also a drive to really see these characters come together. Early on Miura seeds new players in Guts life seemingly at random and who originally feel like just face characters to be probably killed off in horrible and disgusting ways. But before you know it, there is a fellowship of characters joining Guts on his journey but more importantly on their own too. The levity and heart they bring to the story not only makes Berserk better, but Guts as a character too.
The only partial lull I really felt in the series was probably around the Sea God Chapters as the fighting and story didn’t really seem to serve much of a use beyond tying up
the Berserk gang before getting to the Elf Island so that the rest of the cast could play out their stories elsewhere.
I could go on and on about this series and I am saddened that this may be the end, but in a lot of ways it would feel right to end the series here. Ultimately this may have started as a story of revenge but has led to something much grander and fantastical and should be lauded as one of the all time great fantasy series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2019
I remember distinctly being frustrated that Casca had to be saved by Guts over and over when they were in The Band of the Hawk (granted EVERYONE gets saved by Guts repeatedly, that’s his thing) despite that fact that she is such a competent fighter. Then there came a time that Guts couldn’t save her when she actually needed to be saved! Instead we get two BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL, BADASS WITCHES who get the chance to be the ones who rescue an actually defenseless Casca. I just love it so much. Seeing the women in this arc be the most competent, powerful, and essential party members is so wonderful.
Five stars for Schierke, five stars for Farnese, five stars for big sis Casca. Minus one star for it taking 1000 years for Casca to get her groove back. That’s 14/5 stars.
Now badass Casca finally has other badass women around her who can go eviscerate Griffith.
Cannot wait for the next collection to drop.
Five stars for Schierke, five stars for Farnese, five stars for big sis Casca. Minus one star for it taking 1000 years for Casca to get her groove back. That’s 14/5 stars.
Now badass Casca finally has other badass women around her who can go eviscerate Griffith.
Cannot wait for the next collection to drop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2021
This one's emotional. But it's so fulfilling and satisfying to see Casca this way again. And even though it's immediately followed by a prolonged Griffith chapter, and even though it keeps the payoff to the Casca chapter out of these pages it is still such a satisfying volume all around.
I've seen people saying that the series has been spinning its wheels in the last few volumes or in general, but I think the author knows where he's going and unlike other writers that have taken years to wrap up there work I think he knows HOW to get there and all it takes is time. Because I've enjoyed every volume and every chapter and as of the current moment I am caught up volume wise and I do still just love every volume because of moments that this volume gives.
In the end it was worth it. And in the final end all the time will have been worth it.
Now all I need is patience.
5 stars.
I've seen people saying that the series has been spinning its wheels in the last few volumes or in general, but I think the author knows where he's going and unlike other writers that have taken years to wrap up there work I think he knows HOW to get there and all it takes is time. Because I've enjoyed every volume and every chapter and as of the current moment I am caught up volume wise and I do still just love every volume because of moments that this volume gives.
In the end it was worth it. And in the final end all the time will have been worth it.
Now all I need is patience.
5 stars.
May 19, 2020
So it just keeps dragging on. And perhaps I'm engaging in the sunken cost fallacy by continuing to read on but I would really like some closure at some point, even though most of what I liked about this series originally is by this point a fading memory. The dream world sequences were pretty decent, and managed to deliver a modicum of gore, but overall it's just more of this kind of vague surface level philosophizing and meandering plot with beautiful artwork.
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