Story - 9.38
The first three volumes may discourage some of the readers because it's starts off kind of slow and the initial artwork is not quite up to today's standards. However, after the reader begins the Golden Age arc it is nearly impossible to not be pulled in and become addicted to the series. It is chock-full of action, drama, character development, twists and turns, and just a dash of romance. It defies generalization and is just damn good storytelling.
After the Gold Age arc wraps up the story come back full circle to where it left us at the end of volume 3. But by
...
then the rhythm of the manga has changed completely. The reader has established a deep connection with Guts, Casca, and Griffith and that only grows more as the story continues. You'll be confronted with conflicting emotions and think things like "I really want to see Guts put Griffith in the ground" and at the same time "Griffith is just so damn cool". These conflicting thoughts and emotions just go to show how invested the reader becomes with the characters.
Another good thing about the Berserk story is that the protagonist (Guts) is not always the focal character in every chapter. In fact, nearly all of the major supporting cast members receive a considerable amount of page space for their own stories to be fleshed out. Each of these side-stories is not only unique and extremely well developed, but also very deep and revealing as it shows the reader why these character are the way they are. One of the side stories that I found most intriguing was Farnese and Serpico's as it was so beautifully orchestrated as part of the manga as a whole.
The only problem with the story, in my humble opinion, is the introduction of magic in the manga. I feel that the magic the group "acquires" in volume 24 is somewhat exaggerated and does not suit the dark atmosphere of the story. In fact, at times it can even make some of the chapters feel a bit shounen-esk. But even still, it's pretty much impossible not to enjoy the ongoing story that is Berserk.
Art - 9.6
The artwork in the first few volumes of Berserk won't do much to impress many of today's manga readers, but at the time when the series was first serialized (1992) it was certainly well above average. Those initial volumes feature many very unique character designs (especially the apostles) and also sport a relatively high focus on detail. However, where Miura really shows off his latent artistic talents early on is through his ability to create crisp, clear, and highly fluid fight scenes.
One of the few negative aspects of the early volumes can be identified as the simple shading techniques that Miura used. Also, sometimes the character faces will look just a bit "off" and it can be a little distracting. However, these minor quality issues were most likely due to the time constraints that were in place at the time and not entirely the fault of the artist.
Then as the series progresses the reader gets to watch the artwork literally evolve. As we learn more and more about the characters and the world in which they live, the characters themselves and their environments become more and more visually detailed. The simple shading from the early volumes is eventually replaced by a hand shading technique which gives the series a more gritty and surreal overall feeling. The character designs become more crisp and facial expressions sometimes are so vivid that one look at a character's face is often enough to tell the reader exactly what the character is thinking. By the time the reader makes it into volumes 20 and beyond Miura has made it very clear that he means for Berserk to be truly regarded as a work of art just as much as it is a masterfully epic piece of storytelling.
In my own experience I have seen very, very few other manga series that can even approach Berserk's later volumes on an artistic level and, unfortunately, I highly doubt that I will ever be able to find its peer.
Characters - 9.5
The very first character you will meet in Berserk is Guts, the "Black Swordsman" with a dark past and a score to settle with his demonic enemies. Certainly not a very revolutionary character at first glance, but even though he may start off as such, his character quickly expands, and ends up as one of the most believable and human characters I have ever witnessed.
As the story unwinds, you follow Guts through his past, allowing you to experience his personality change during his constant battle against fate. You follow Guts through waves of despair and hardships offset only by the flickering fires of friendship and trust. Eventually, Guts becomes like a maelstrom of opposing emotions, and the question arises, will he continue on his path of all-consuming revenge even if it means losing everything he has come to care for?
The other characters that appear throughout the course of the story come in all different shapes and sizes and all play their roles perfectly, just as support characters should. The more important support characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, are all draped in many layers of depth, making their characters both solid pillars and interesting ingredients within the plot as a whole. From Griffith's burning ambition to the skulduggery of the God Hand, from Puck and Isidro's antics to Farnese's troubled past and uncertain future, the characters all appear vivid and alive (Although alive might not fit The Skull Knight...) and all have their own emotions, personalities and ambitions. The supportive cast show their brilliance in how they appear to the reader as actual players in Berserk's grand game, and not just as passive plot devices.
With such a cast of strong personalities and vibrant, living characters, Berserk easily cuts it's way (no pun intended) to the top score in this category.
Enjoyment - 10
The fact that I sat and read through all 295 chapters of this exquisite manga in one sitting should justify the perfect score for enjoyment! The manga has great characters - heroes you root for and empathize with, villains you can't help but admire for their ruthlessness and charisma. The artwork is dark, brooding, and gruesome and complements the story well. And what a riveting story it is... It hooks you from the first chapter and sets the stage for the most intriguing revenge themed manga on the market. Its success is testament to its quality. My only complaint is the excruciating waits between chapters.
Also, I must throw in a cautionary note: this manga is quite definitely not for the faint hearted. There is a considerable amount nudity, sex, gore, violence, and, for the lack of a better word, bad-assery!
OVERALL - 9.69
This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the "Critics and Connoisseurs" club. The team members were:
8GaugeBrett - Who wrote the Art section and combined the individual review parts together into a whole.
Amaity - Who wrote the Enjoyment section.
Baman - Who wrote the Character section.
Ianmessku - Who wrote the Story section.
Here are their individual scorings for the Manga:
Category - 8GaugeBrett, Amaity, Baman, Ianmessku
Story - 9, 10, 9, 9.5
Art - 10, 9, 10, 9.5
Character - 9, 9 , 10, 10
Enjoyment - 10, 10, 10, 10
Overall - 10, 9, 10, 9.75
In the club wide poll held for Berserk it received an average overall rating of 9.53
Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Berserk: The Prototype Japanese: ベルセルク More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: Unknown
Chapters: Unknown
Status: Publishing
Published: Aug 25, 1989 to ?
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Young Animal Statistics Ranked: #12 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1
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Your Feelings Categories Apr 29, 2008
Story - 9.38
The first three volumes may discourage some of the readers because it's starts off kind of slow and the initial artwork is not quite up to today's standards. However, after the reader begins the Golden Age arc it is nearly impossible to not be pulled in and become addicted to the series. It is chock-full of action, drama, character development, twists and turns, and just a dash of romance. It defies generalization and is just damn good storytelling. After the Gold Age arc wraps up the story come back full circle to where it left us at the end of volume 3. But by ... Sep 30, 2010
"Have you ever hated someone so much, that this feeling alone would drive you to do horrific and impossible to grasp things?
Have you ever hated someone so much, that your whole life was focused on finding that person and ripping him apart? Have you ever hated someone so much, that you would forget about your humanity, purge it all just to find enough power, for one, single fraction of a moment, one chance to get your revenge... What would your eyes look like in that very moment...? Insane? Terrified? Passionate? Happy? Or maybe... satisfied... Look into his eyes, and find nothing there..." When I first learned that there is ... May 3, 2010
Berserk: best manga of all the time or GREATEST manga ever? This isn't up for debate, its written in stone.
The story is incredible in every way imaginable. It starts out with a few small arcs featuring the Black Swordsman named Guts who hunts down demons known as Apostles. We aren't really sure why he does this at the beginning but the mangaka, Miura indicates that there is a lot of history between Guts and these Apostles. The setting is realistic fantasy at first with dashes of supernatural and high-fantasy elements sprinkled here and there. Guts doesn't appear as a very likable protagonist at first. ... Nov 24, 2008
A 10. One of the several few mangas that deserve two numbers. Berserk tells the tale of a swordsman haunted by woe and bad luck."Out of the frying pan into the fire" seems to be the only way to describe this manga, for the protagonist, Gutts, always seems to find himself in worse situations than those of his preceding situations.
The storyline line is superb - one of money, love, betrayal, and death. Each of these themes seem to be ubiquitous yet vacant throughout the story. Albeit a bit slow in the beginning, the plot rockets off, forming a most complex and elaborate tale that ... Dec 5, 2012
"To me, a friend is something else. Someone who would never depend upon another's dream. Someone who wouldn't be compelled by anyone, but who would determine and pursue his own reason to live and should anyone trample that dream, he would oppose him body and soul...even if that threat were me myself. What I think a friend is, is one who is my equal." – Griffith
Words of wisdom and complete despair. Griffith’s speech at the top of the ballroom stairs is truly sublime and grotesque in nature. Many would agree with what is being said but only few expected the horrors this speech would imply. ... May 19, 2014
Berserk feels like two different series.
The first, the "Golden Age" arc, is where its acclaim rightly comes from- it easily stands alone as the single best Manga arc I've ever read. Deserves 10s across the board. Reading Berserk is *absolutely* worthwhile for that experience alone- superb, mature characters, fiendishly inventive plot twists, and some beautiful worldbuilding. The way it ends is absolutely heartbreaking. Then, after the first ~110 chapters? There's, ah, the rest. The post-Golden Age arc's still enjoyable- and the magnificent art style, if anything, has got even better. The problem's with the setting and pacing- it scarcely feels like the storyline has ... May 12, 2010
Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Berserk Prototype, and was subsequently merged into Berserk.I've only recently started reading Berserk, so I've decided to check out the Prototype. I think that anyone who enjoys reading Berserk will find this interesting and worth reading. In itself it does not stand out particularly, and it really looks like another chapter of Berserk with some differences concerning the details of the story. (There are slight defferences in the treminology, and Guts is somewhat differently drawn.)
I found it worth while because it actually shows you that a rough idea needs to be refined and thought through ... Jun 28, 2008
-- [ Berserk ] --
One line: "Highly detailed scenes. Very impressive and complex plot. Lively and varied characters. Berserk rules!" - [ Story - 10 ] - Berserk is about Guts, an exceptionally skilled swordsman and his adventures with The Band of the Hawk, along with its leader, Griffith, and other characters like Caska. After a betrayal, Guts is branded as a sacrifice by the God Hand and loses all his friends and his love, set to be killed during The Eclipse. He fights like an insane, becoming an Eclipse survivor. Following this, he is cursed and always attracts evil spirits and violence around him. He now ... May 6, 2013
When looking at the 5 sub-categories above, I noticed myself giving every one a 10 (expect for enjoyment, which I gave a 9. I'll get to why I gave it that in a second). While I'm not particularly the strictest reviewer ever, I generally don't go throwing 10's all over the place. So, needless to say, Berserk is something unique.
If one were to simply look at the series briefly, the average person would probably only see it as just another over-the-top action manga with a lot of nudity and sex. But that's where they would be mistaken; while violence in Berserk tends to be ... Jan 27, 2014
Being a medieval-style lover, I started looking for a manga with this type of setting ever since I was introduced to manga and anime. Many people suggested Berserk and praised it as a masterpiece. It wasn't long before I saw why.
First of all, it's one of the few manga, if not the only one, where the secondary characters' past, relationships and stories are introduced to you in a way that the plot won't get sidetracked and the focus of the story will still be on the main characters. This adds to the drama and makes the cast more interesting and realistic. And we are talking ... Sep 16, 2021
Honestly, this is not a review I wanted to write so soon, but I feel a sense of obligation to fulfill to a work that is dear to my heart and has affected me on such a deep emotional level.
Upon its creation, Berserk had immediately spearheaded the genre of dark fantasy and served as one of its most well-known and acclaimed representatives across all media. Meticulously crafted and greatly inspirational, it's been consistently ranked at the top of the lists of greats, gathering accolades all over the world for its story, themes, art, and characters. Even at this site, Berserk has consistently been the #1 ... Dec 12, 2015
Ah Berserk, infamous for its dark story, Rated M for Manly story, and its badass main protagonist. Sure the manga is full of awesome moments, and Guts IS the definition of a badass, but those three things hardly do the manga justice.
I will attempt to remain as fair and balance in my review of this epic manga. --Story-- The story of Berserk is actually the best thing about this manga, in my opinion. The first three volumes, collectively known as the Black Swordsman Arc, start off as a simple revenge story. Guts, our main protagonist has been wronged, and he aims to ... Jun 9, 2013
BERSERK, in a personal point of view, it's just like meeting my final love. The one i've always been looking for... Two years i've first read it and still i read it again sometimes while eating for exemple.
Why do i love it so much ? BERSERK is the story of a man like you and me a,d with the luck of a fish. Born from a dead mother and raised in a mercenary troop. Fighting for his life everyday he will lose everything, and when he finally find a goal and something special to him in his life he just lose it in the most ... Aug 1, 2015
This is my first review so here goes nothing
Berserk is probably the closest thing you'll get to perfect in any manga in my honest opinion. Story: The story is about Guts, a swordsman who's been training since childhood who finds a woman named Casca and a man named Griffith who would alter his life forever by offering him a chance to join his crew, the Band of the Hawk. Without saying any spoilers, Guts harbors an intense hatred for Griffith now and he gathers a team so he can snap Casca out of her funk and defeat Griffith and his newfound abilities given to him ... Sep 28, 2024 Recommended Well-written Preliminary
(376/? chp)
Berserk – Spoiler Free – Recommended
TLDR Story – 10/10 Art – 10/10 Characters – 10/10 Enjoyment – 10/10 Story - 10/10 Berserk's story is just incredible. From the very first arcs - including, of course, the Golden Age Arc, the second and most famous arc in the entire manga - Berserk's story never lets up, showing and consolidating why it will always be an inescapable classic for any otaku. From a depressing plot with elements of comedy, dense but very easy to read, and coherent but with multiple strands, Berserk unites in itself the plurality and quality of an almost unique story. The biggest pity is that it was never finished, ... May 9, 2009
An incredibly blood thirsty take no prisoners style of manga where no one is safe. This title is incredibly violent and not for the faint of heart. This title is so violent that no one in the story is spared not even the elderly, the women and the children (all of whom share an equal amount of brutality) therefore this is definitely not for the squeamish.
The story is set during a medieval Europe style world and is divided mainly into three major arcs (for now at least since this is an ongoing series and will most likely have more major arcs in the future). ... May 21, 2021
So it was really sudden ,yesterday it was revealed that Kentaro-sensei died .
Berserk reached an end , because without Kentaro Berserk will never be the same.There is no confirmation yet on what will happen ,will the assistants continue it based on drafts and ideas of Kentaro-sensei or will they not? It really does not matter ,Berserk is a masterpiece as it is .It was a huge inspiration for millions and without it ,there would not be other great works like Dark Souls, Bloodborne and other great manga. So let's talk a little about Berserk shall we?(no spoils) Story: Very few plots manage to stay so great for ... Sep 17, 2011
This is the greatest thing you will ever read and if you give it a fair shot you will receive so much in return. If you find you aren't interested in the beginning, just skip right into the golden arc; it's not that big a deal. However; reading this is so worth it you cannot give up reading it. If you get bored just skip a few chapters and it will get better again, so go for it.
Berserk is about such an honest human agony that you want to rip the books apart and trow them away with your heart because you can't stand caring ... Apr 17, 2011
The first time I was reading it, the art design of the beginning kinda deterred me. Not because it was bad (it's brilliant right off the bat and surpassing all charts of measurement after the 7th volume), but because it can be as realistically disgusting as a European medieval scenario probably should be.
However, overcoming that this manga is a masterpiece all over - up to the currently last arc, millenium falcon, sadly, where it just feels too mainstream, too arbitrary and too normal. Whatever, that is just one story arc. Each time I'm re-reading a part of Berserk, my mind is just blown away and I ... Jun 8, 2021
I read Berserk even though I knew it was incomplete due to Miura tragically passing away. I just really needed a quality story to satisfy me after the trainwreck that was AoT. Suffice to say, I binge read 363 chapters in a week.
Berserk is such a bizarre manga. It could be 1000 chapters long and it wouldn't feel padded at all. The story, characters, and art are simply immaculate. Miura was truly a genius. I haven't had a story genuinely make me emotional in a while. The story... is VERY dark. There are mature elements like murder and gore, but there are also disturbing elements like ... |