Berserk – A review by Drake.

It seemed like any other Japanese manga story about a hot muscled guy with a gigantic sword.  It seemed at first glance like the epitome of manga cliché.  Upon reading it however, Berserk by Kentarō Miura is the defining story that the other dark fantasy mangas wish they were. Its rich tapestry of characters set against a pseudo-realistic dense and well-developed fantastic environment proved to me once and for all that manga is not created equal, and to never judge manga by its cover.

Set in Medieval Europe, Berserk is an apocalyptic dark fantasy about a highly skilled giant sword wielding mercenary warrior named Guts.  Pitted against the gods themselves with no clear delineation between what is good and evil, Guts is fated to walk the earth fighting demonic apostles in a quest to avenge his betrayed mercenary comrades.  The first 13 volumes were later adapted into an admirable anime, and it is this story arc that is undoubtedly the most epic so far.  After the first 13 volumes Berserk begins to expound on Guts’ traveling party detailing political events swirling in the upheaval of demonic cataclysm.  The reader is never insulted by shoddy writing, and the artwork is some of the best I have ever seen.  Miura conveys humor and grim reality with a meticulous but loose and organic style that shifts to meet the mood of the scene.  It frequently calls on the traditions of Japanese horror manga. If you consider yourself a serious comic artist then take a long lesson from Berserk.

Try it, and if you like it you’ll never be in want of reading material again as Miura has vowed to make it the longest running manga of all time!!!

It reminds me off all the following things mixed together and improved upon:  Hellraiser, Final Fantasy 7, Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, Vagabond, Vampire Hunter D, Dungeons and Dragons, Blade of the Immortal, The Canterbury Tales, and A Midsummer Nights Dream!!!

Genres: adventure, drama, fantasy, horror, psychological, romance, supernatural

Age rating: ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR CHILDREN  – GRAPHIC VIOLENCE and EXTREME SEXUAL CONTENT!