Berserk is the epic manga by Kentaro Miura (written and illustrated). It is apparently a pretty big deal in both Japan and America, but it was completely off my radar until my brother started purchasing the deluxe editions and raving about them. I was hesitant at first to delve in, but the cacophony of praise was getting loud enough that it was hard to resist the call.
So, last year, after hearing all the hype, I started down the journey, not sure what to expect. I knew it was dark and disturbing and not for the faint of heart. I am not faint of heart, but I also don’t like to read stuff that makes me feel “icky”. Your “icky” may be different than mine, though. I will say there were a few times I questioned my resolve to continue.
Quick elevator pitch: Berserk is set in a medieval fantasy world, where our protagonist, Guts, a dark, brooding, swordsman, makes his way through the world as a mercenary, soldier, and adventurer. Throughout the series, a pretty large ensemble cast is built up, and while Guts is still the focus, many of the other characters get their own arcs and are given time to shine.
All the characters in Berserk are pretty broken, even the evil ones. No one gets out of this world unscathed, and that is definitely one of the series strengths. The characters feel genuine in their experience and emotions. However, that’s where some of the darkness comes in. In order to break these characters, the author has to put them through hell (mostly figuratively), and that journey is decidedly unpleasant. One of our main characters, Casca, is so broken, she goes through over half of the series as a near catatonic shell of her former self.
During my read, I often questioned whether the series was really as great as hype would suggest, or maybe it was just so dark and shocking, people mistook that for depth. Sometimes in our society, people wear their experiences like a badge of honor, and surviving the gauntlet of shock and horror like Berserk may be such a badge for some.
The art in Berserk, is some of the most amazing and beautiful (horrifying) illustrations to grace the pages of a sequential story. The detail of the work and the shading, hatching, and overall composition are truly next level. And Miura continued to improve throughout the series, and the art never lets up. Maintaining that level of growth and consistency through the series is an amazing accomplishment, in and of itself.
Tragically, Kentaro Miura, passed away unexpectedly on May 6, 2021, prior to finishing the story that is Berserk. The series is continuing under the direction of his studio, and new work has already been released (but not in the US, unfortunately).
So, Berserk is definitely a journey worth taking if you have a high tolerance for darkness and depravity. I will warn you, the initial chapter is actually pretty mediocre, but the series quickly finds its footing and starts to morph into something pretty groundbreaking. However, like any long journey, there are definitely highs and lows, and the actual end may still be a ways off into the future.