Berserk Volume 1-5 Collection 5 Books Set (Series 1) by Kentaro Miura

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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] The world seems to be quite a cruel one, and this manga doesn't shy away from very graphic murder scenes. It nicely sets the stage for some grimdark dark fantasy and we get to have a limited exploration of this world and the creatures it holds, from spirits that animate the skeletons of the dead to snake demons. Apart from that, since this is the introductory volume, I didn't really get much depth out of it and haven't developed any relevant sentiments regarding the characters, and I'm mainly intrigued by the medieval-European inspired dark fantasy world, which is something we do see quite commonly in fantasy, but that atmosphere always has its charm and allure for me. I will be reading the next volume of this manga to see if I'm able to get more invested in the story, and I see this as a decent entry into this world.

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's 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. I used to love seeing Guts butchering people with progressively bigger swords, but, falling victim to power creep, the stronger creatures he is facing the less dramatization there is behind the action. The typical soldiers in the early arcs were making it far easier to feel the devastation of war. When they got replaced with beasts and eventually with monsters, there’s nothing there anymore. Guts is killing abominations that have nothing humane and thus nothing relatable about them. Look at that texturing. The choice between this level of beautiful intricacy and computer coloring ain't no choice at all: There are once in a life time stories, and berserk is one of them the potential behind this simple manga, the suspense, the mystery of it all! Not much more to say. I blazed through it in about half an hour and my appetite is only just whetted.There's something special in this weird little medieval-fairy-tale-Europe-as-imagined-by-20th-century-Japanese that kept me reading. A whiff of Nietzsche and Sartre and Kierkegaard, a promise of complexity and depth hiding behind the simplistic tale of an unlikeable protagonist's journey of revenge, despair and brutality toward self-knowledge. It's cringy, stereotypical and very much rooted in the '90s but there's earnestness and some emotional truth in this ugly, depressing tale that makes me read on. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Blood, guts (in more ways than one), and huge swords (not even in the phallic symbol kinda way...okay it probably is). I haven't read a lot of manga, but this was great stuff. 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. 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 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. The story centers on the characters of Guts, a lone mercenary, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the "Band of the Hawk".It’s difficult to review this arc because it was left unfinished after the author’s untimely passing.

And why wouldn’t it be? If pretty images are all you care about, then you will never be disappointed as the artwork is amongst the best you can find in any manga. And despite changing slightly as years go by, it never becomes lazy and dull, as is the case with any other long-running title. Almost every frame is a painting of fine art, extremely detailed and graphical, taking hours to be drawn with attention to facial expressions, clothing and sceneries. Especially the panoramic views showing huge armies clashing are breath taking. I will never draw my sword for another man again, or be dangled by another mans dream. From now on, I will fight my own battles." This volume has 3 chapters, and they don't really give much information regarding Guts's motivations. We can see that he's on some form of vendetta, and his vigilante-like behaviour must be coming from a much deeply seated wound. Despite his brutality, we do see that he is the protagonist of the story, after having murdered a group of thugs in a tavern and saved his new fairy friend, even though that little encounter led to The Snake Lord feeling threatened over his domain and unleashing hell (quite literally) in town as a response to Guts's transgression. We can see that Guts is some form of grimdark antihero character.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. The review and stars are for the entire series Vol 1 - 40. I'm currently on *Vol 31* and will update this review/stars as I move forward. Some minor spoilers towards the end of the review: Mhm, as with most classics it's hard to rate. The art for most part is rather abysmal, compared to newer mangas (most of which were actually heavily influenced by Berserk, so there's that, too). I've seen some later volumes and man, Miura had improved immensely, to absolutely amazing levels of skill. But for now, it's bad, grainy, sketchy and overloaded with tropes.