 "Awesomeness" | 2008-09-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1EX6XV25AUA2D |
| Very good starter book for anyone that saw the anime and wants to continue the story. |
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 "Awesome!" | 2007-11-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: AHOG5RI3NULJW |
| This book is so freakin' awesome! It's so awesome, I decided to buy the entire series after reading this book. And this is coming from a person who hardly reads books! |
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| "For People who love good fantasy/horror..." | 2007-11-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: AWUMFA7K7F5TC |
| Yes, I am bias and I can say I belive Berserk is the best manga ever. This story takes place in a midevil europe setting with the main character being "Guts" also called the black swordsman, on a path for revenge for an unknown reason. The fantasy element is obvious early on with hordes of demons and monsters Guts slays with he huge sword and arsenal. If you can take lots of gore/violence..nudity/rape and just "realistic scenes" they won't show you in other comics then you will love Berserk and it doesn't hold back one bit!! On the plus side not only does it have plenty of this but it also has a great plot, well developed deep characters and an epic feel to the story. This is a really long ongoing series that is well past volume 20 now so there is alot to catch up on!! If you can make it past the first few volumes the story only gets better to flackback and explain the reason behind Gut's current condition and his past. Yes its extremely dark at first but the story soon opens up to many great characters with their own ambitions and dreams which converge together to make a hell of a tale. Honestly, Berserk has it all, love, dreams, ambition, betrayal, revenge, intrigue and loads of fighting. Not to give away much more but If you have seen the anime (which I recommend) ur up to about volume 12 in the manga series where it ends.. (Note: the anime is toned down and there are some differences you will see in characters and plot while reading the manga).. Wether you are new to the series or have seen the anime all of this epic story's main plot can be tied back to all the events unfolding between volumes 1-12. Yes its a long ongoing series but get hooked and you'll be just like me pulling at the ropes for more!! (besides who wants a series lasting just a book or two?!) One last warning.. this is an ADULT comic you have to have and will enjoy this series more, if you have a strong sense of reality and can handle the graphic images. And no I was not joking when I gave the list earlier.. women/children are not safe and although this is a fantasy it is more realistic then other comics who choose not to show and let u assume or have the hero save them everytime. So if you can't take the heat get out of the fire but if this is what you are looking for be prepared for the best series of its type out there!! |
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| ""The Black Swordsman has arrived!"" | 2007-10-30 |
| - Reviewed By sebaf74 |
I discovered the character of Guts through the anime, and when I finished watching the DVDs I was eager to learn more about the fate of this mesmerizing individual. Luckily, I quickly found out that the manga extended the story way farther than the anime, so here I am. The first thing that struck me about this manga was the notorious presence of Puck. This elf is a welcome incorporation to the story, since it fulfills two crucial roles: introduce some levity via its humor, which is necessary given the nature of the story, and provide a marked contrast with the personality of Guts.
This series is not for the faint of heart, since it includes scenes of extreme violence, many involving women and children, depicts gore vividly, and if the anime is any indication of the progression, this is just the beginning. However, this is a manga that provides the reader with much more than just violence, since the characters posses many layers, and the story that serves as backbone to the action scenes is multilayered and satisfying.
There are few characters in the anime / manga genre as complex and thought-provoking as Guts. This warrior has been branded by demons, and goes around in search of his destiny, fighting anything that comes across his path. Aided by his mechanical arm and enormous sword, if it can be called that, he seeks to free himself from the hold the brand has on his existence. In this first volume, his life is full of anger, sadness, pain, and fear, as well as darkness, as Puck so wisely observes.
The graphic aspects of the novel are very good, and the style efficiently conveys the mood of the storyline. If you are new to this series, and not squeamish, you should seriously consider checking this out. But beware, you will be hooked! |
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| "An Epic Story in the Tradition of Beowolf" | 2007-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By timehonoredanimalreincarnations |
| Kentaro Miura is simply a genius. And this work is his masterpiece. Inside this seemingly simple tale of a knight who accidentally enters hell and fights his way through to the other side, is a story about war and the lives of those who live by it. The action sequences are incredible, yet it is the concepts that are dealt with, the ideas that make Berserk so incredible. Let me first mention that Kentaro Miura's artwork is second to none in the medium. Thin black lines coupled with generous use of the color black create a stark image that tends to cling in the mind. However, Miura's philosophy of life finds its way through completely organically. In the way that epic poems and the work of authors like Shakespeare, use the story to relay an idea, Miura weaves his fantasies. Every battle, every line of dialogue, every character work to further some concept. His characters are not real, in the way that Jesus is not real. They are characters used to show something bigger. Read it and you will understand. |
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| "Great!" | 2006-12-17 |
| - Reviewed By ichigo_chan_ssj5 |
As one of the few girls who have read this manga, I feel I must comment. I personally love this series. (My opinion though might be a bit biased though as I am generally okay with violence.)
The great (and terrible) thing about this manga is it's story. It is exceedingly tragic. When I first started reading I almost stopped because of how depressing it was, it was just bad things happening left and right... but I've stuck through and it has paid off. The plot is great. Anyone who likes reading/watching tragedies will like this (I hope I don't sound sadistic here lol).
I feel I must also add that the whole story isn't just serious though. There ARE glimmers of humor and happiness that do occur in the series and because they take place so infrequently and in such a tragic setting, they are all the more sweeter.
There do seem to be some underlying themes, but the past few weeks (yes I bought most of them during the past few weeks >< so addicted!) I've been turning my brain off so I can't really elaborate on the details. The only things I could pick up on was causality, morality, etc.
The art is really great, imo. Very detailed (at least more detailed than the regular shojo I read). I love when Guts slices through a billion guys. Very cool.
Yarrr, I can't wait till I get Vol. 13! Yay Guts and Casca <3 |
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| "Such a great series" | 2006-11-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2WS53TSA41HSF |
If you have watched the anime series, then you will want to continue with the manga. I've read the manga (online) a few years ago when I finished the anime and just had to find out what happened.
I stumbled across the print version at Borders. From there I knew I had to get the entire manga collection. They are reasonably priced and well worth it.
If you are squimish, then this manga isn't for you. For the rest of the world - this is a must have. |
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| "Berserk" | 2006-08-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2JBOG3WBTUUMC |
| It's, you know, manga. Good stuff. I watched the anime series first, and the ending was too odd and too unfinished for me to leave it at that. So I decided to try these out. No disappointment. Buy it. It is in B&W, of course. But deal with it. |
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| "Excpect nothing less from Knetaro Miura" | 2006-07-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A272F2227DYLPC |
| After watching the incomplete T.V. series I set out to read and own as many of the beserk books as possible. This book acutally surpasses the series in so many diverse ways. The story is just as, if no more, spectacular putting you even deeper into the dark psychie of Guts. Not only this but it details the battle that takes place in the first episode of the tv series. All and all I was Overwhelmingly satisifed with this book. |
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| "A Masterful Manga of Blood and Gore" | 2006-02-02 |
| - Reviewed By tonyadpx |
(Note that I saw the anime series before I read the manga, so consider this as you read on.)
Berserk, both anime and manga, is one of the most violent and bloody series out. Yet it's also very deep and well-plotted, with a unique anti-hero, that being Guts, a.k.a. The Black Swordsman, a man who loves to hate, cares nothing for those around him, and wants nothing more than to swing his massive, horse-cleaving sword around. The sight of blood doesn't bother him, he shows no emotion, and will even blow the face off of a lover (though in all fairness, she was a demon as well). And to help him in this matter is the demon-calling brand on his neck, essentially feeding his blood-lust. When demons aren't coming for him, he's going after them. His main goal, however, are the mysterious demons of the Godhand, and continually haunting his dreams is a deformed baby-like creature that crawls toward him endlessly.
Alongside Guts is the elf Puck, who helps Guts in times of need, whether he wants it or not. Everyone else who helps him usually ends up dying, so supporting characters are few. Guts cares only about himself, and had not Puck had its own motives it surely would have abandoned Guts to do what he would with his life.
Guts's journey in volume one takes Guts from between the legs of a demon lover, and follows him as he enters a city dominated by corrupt soldiers who follow the lead of an evil snake demon. Beyond that, it shows Guts in his everyday life of endless wondering and fighting. He meets a priest and his daughter, and must fight a hoard of undead, and soon after enters another city, locked in the terror of an Inquisition, where falsely accused heretics are being slaughtered. By the end of this volume, a key point in Guts's past is shown, an evil charm known as a Behelit.
Though surely Berserk is one of the best and most entertaining, and I'd like to recommend it to everyone, I can't. I will only recommend this to mature readers (the book recommends 18+), because it has some partial nudity and gore on nearly every page. Not only that, but children are shown being killed. If you believe yourself mature enough to understand that this is only a story, then pick this up. Otherwise, leave Berserk for adult readers.
Also, if you saw the series and would like to better know the history of Guts, then pick this up, because the first season of the anime jumps pretty far ahead from where the manga is. The anime and manga start in nearly the same spot, but the manga continues from there and later gets into the story with Griffith, while the anime goes almost immediately to that dramatic point. |
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