Don't ever get on Guts' bad side.
Written and illustrated by mangaka Kentaro Miura, "Berserk" is a Japanese comic set in a dark fantasy word inspired by medieval Europe. The story revolves around a warrior named Guts with a tragic past: born from a dead woman and raised to be a mercenary by caretakers who were a little too into the kids kind of tragic past. Over the years, Guts grows up to be a brutal and terrifyingly strong warrior who people soon call the Black Swordsman. Guts later joins up with a group of mercenaries called the Band of the Hawk who are led by a charismatic figure named Griffith and his 2nd in command the warrior maiden Casca. Griffith feels that the three are connected to a strange destiny by a mysterious (see evil AF) object called the Behelit.
That ain't no ordinary MacGuffin son.
Over the years, Guts becomes close to his allies as they travel the continent, righting wrongs, and committing a few along the way until their exploits catch the attention of demonlords called the Godhand. These horrifying fiends wield powers just short of absolute, and they have taken an interest in the Behelit and Griffith. What follows is a tragedy unlike any you've ever seen before as Griffith sacrifices his comrades to the Godhand in exchange for the power to bring destiny itself under his thumb - irreparably scarring Casca and Guts in the process. Broken, beaten, but far from dead, Guts takes up his sword once more and nothing, not destiny or even god will stop him from making Griffith pay.
Not even Cthulhu will sate Guts' appetite for revenge.
There is a lot that I've glossed over due to possible spoilers. It may seem like I've already revealed quite a bit, but the first chapter of Berserk takes place years after the summary I've just shared. In addition, what is technically Berserk's prologue is an entire arc. While manga fans have a habit of calling everything under the sun "epic", Berserk truly is epic in every sense of the word. Not only is the story long (having been in serialization since 1989), but the world this story is set in is immense with a variety of kingdoms, each having their own cultures and meta-religions. The cast of characters play host to a variety of personalities, ideals, and even personal short-comings which the manga doesn't hesitate to show us. It's captivating to see how characters develop overtime especially when their beliefs clash with those around them. There are few if any flat characters to be found here as they are always growing, always changing sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Oh so much worse.
Unspeakable evil, thy name is Griffith.
Berserk is a manga of contrasts and we see this throughout. In the art department we see breathtaking scenery and landscapes right out of Tolkien, together with European inspired castles and towns, but we also see hellish creatures and nightmarescapes that you would swear were taken right out of Clive Barker. In terms of themes, the manga addresses camaraderie, but also isolation and the effect the two have on people. There is even dichotomy between objects of worship as spirits in nature which are typically good, strive to maintain peace and order in the natural/supernatural worlds while on the other hand, the absolute god of Berserk is an entity of evil.
The manga also explores whether or not humans are fundamentally good or evil and so we see characters who are capable of admirable acts of heroism, but we also see characters capable of some of the most horrific acts you've ever seen in a comic. I'm no social justice warrior, but I've seen characters do things so terrible that if I were to describe them to you, you would flee from this room in horror, disgust, or both. Even though seinen (adult comics) are known for having graphic content, Kentaro Miura could give Go Nagai a run for his money with some of these chapters. Make no mistake, Berserk wears its genre with pride. Whether or not it should is up to the reader.
That's not even the biggest one Guts has killed this week.
As mentioned before Berserk is home to a large, dark fantasy world and with that in mind it's no surprise that our heroes come across an assortment of fantasy creatures like trolls, fairies, elves, titanic sea monsters, phantoms, demons, and the like. Creature designs range from nauseatingly grotesque to awe-inspiring. There is an OCD-level of detail in these panels and some of the more questionable design choices aside, Miura's artwork is superb.
Guts always has time for the kids.
Let it be said that Berserk has its heartwarming moments which will sometimes come from the least likely person; Guts. If you've ever read Berserk you know that Guts is one of the most badass characters in fiction - period. Even if you've never read Berserk you know his name. Yet despite what Guts has been through, and despite how many people & monsters he's killed, he can be surprisingly tender towards children and understanding of adults, always taking the time to help people emotionally and psychologically - even if he doesn't want to. The characters in this manga left such a strong impression on me that it motivated me to keep reading even if I had to slog through some [really] graphic content.
Tis but a flesh wound.
Since 1989 Berserk has spawned more than 30 volumes, an anime series, three OVAs, and two video games: Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War for the Playstation 2 in 2004. It has a large following and it may be one of the extremely rare cases where the mainstream has yet (yet) to ruin a great title. It has its flaws, but overall its a fantastic title especially for those into dark fantasy stories. There's some great stuff in here, but be warned. It's a very "trigger happy" manga so just know what you're getting into.
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