Berserk Volumes 1-10 by Kentaro Miura

~230 pages each

Horror Fantasy Manga

4.5/5

Available Formats: Physical Book, Hoopla, Comics Plus 

“His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won't take his fate lying down; he'll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned - and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.”

I have a tendency to start random things whenever I feel like it; Berserk is one of those random things that quickly became an intense obsession. I am always on the lookout for new to me Graphic Novels or Manga to read so I decided to go online to get some other reader reviews and opinions (we call that Reader’s Advisory). All of that lead me to this series. I admit I have a tendency and a draw to darker more grim emotional stories, for me, Berserk is the epitome of this weird interest I have. There are few books in my life that I honestly would never give a star rating. (I put a rating at the top because that’s one of our requirements for writing; I have to follow my own rules). If I had my way, that “out of five stars” portion would be blank because this series is designed to wreck people not be gold star hungry. For fear that you think that I hate this series from what I just said, let me circle back a bit. The main character of this story, Guts , is a warrior from the small beginning of his seemingly cursed life. We hop on this emotional rollercoaster and get heartache whiplash from the start; all throughout his current story and backstory we get to see Guts at his lowest points and his highest points. Even though the reader knows the outcome is horrific and heartbreaking, Miura does a great job making you invested anyway. I care about these people. My heart bleeds for them. I cried for Guts and Casca! I was angry on their behalf. I find myself thinking of Gut’s trials and the depth of humanity, depraved and passionate. I read this wanting him to win all the while knowing his loss is insurmountable. I know that this series is going to hurt my feelings real bad, but I just can’t quit it. If you like the idea of going into a book seeing humanity at its absolute darkest, I hesitantly recommend this.

Please be aware that there are trigger warnings associated with this graphic novel series including torture, sexual assault, death, and themes of suicide. Please do your research according to your needs before picking this book up.

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Bethann