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4.65 AVERAGE
4.65 AVERAGE
Oh, wow.
Rating for the individual volumes:
Volume 10: 4 ★
Volume 11: 3.75 ★
Volume 12: 4.5 ★
Rating for the individual volumes:
Volume 10: 4 ★
Volume 11: 3.75 ★
Volume 12: 4.5 ★
Berserk by Kentaro Miura is often lauded as one of the greatest mangas of all time. I’ve reviewed Berserk Deluxe Edition volume 1 and found it to be enjoyable though lacking in most areas. I realised there had to be something that clicks in this series to have garnered such a following, so I decided to continue reading with the Golden Age arc and I was honestly blown away by the steep and sudden increase in quality of writing. Consisting of the first 5 deluxe editions (or volumes 4-14) this origin-like arc, is some of best manga I’ve ever read and I’m very happy I decided to continue.
The Black Swordsman arc is clearly just the action packed prologue to get us invested and curious with the character and the world, and The Golden Age is the true the orientation of this story and characters. Everything that I felt was missing from that first arc is here and more. Miura has written some of the most subtle and clever foundations for characterisation and narrative development I’ve seen. The world building continues to be strong, highlighting the vicious medieval fantasy setting.
Here we learn about the upbringing of Guts, the many factors of his childhood that make up the crazed, stoic and somewhat cruel man we meet. We see him meet a young prodigy and his military band, Griffith and the White Hawks as they recruit Guts and embark on many successful battles and climb in status. The cast of characters introduced are quite varied with some interesting people that help shape the narrative and Gut’s development.
The surprising factor is the moments of levity sprinkled throughout that help bind the reader to these characters. Allowing us to really understand the band and they’re solidarity. As mentioned they’re is a greater focus on the characterisation. However an equal focus is placed on the world building and the foreshadowing to a truly harrowing event. I’ve read horror, epic fantasy, cosmic sci-fi and gothic fiction and each genre has shown some cruel, depressing and tormenting moments. Yet nothing in fiction has compared to the “Eclipse”. I’ll say nothing more. Those that read it know. It will haunt me and will 100% impact my reread of the Black Swordsman and beginning of the Golden Age arc knowing what I know now. It completely decontextualised everything we thought we knew about Guts. There are many who say to skip the Black Swordsman arc but it’s necessary to read first in my opinion, to better feel the weight of the Eclipse and the brief epilogue of the arc before moving forward.
It’s almost baffeling how high in quality the jump is between arcs. Consisting of 10 volumes, which took at least 5 years really shows Miura’s artistic growth. The detail he imbues in his pages and paneling are a spectacle. It’s a great to read these in the Deluxe Edition.
If this is just the second arc then I am both excited and nervous to continue on this journey with Guts. An absolute flawless, perfect arc of storytelling, worldbuilding and characterisation.
Berserk - The Golden Age arc: 10/10
The Black Swordsman arc is clearly just the action packed prologue to get us invested and curious with the character and the world, and The Golden Age is the true the orientation of this story and characters. Everything that I felt was missing from that first arc is here and more. Miura has written some of the most subtle and clever foundations for characterisation and narrative development I’ve seen. The world building continues to be strong, highlighting the vicious medieval fantasy setting.
Here we learn about the upbringing of Guts, the many factors of his childhood that make up the crazed, stoic and somewhat cruel man we meet. We see him meet a young prodigy and his military band, Griffith and the White Hawks as they recruit Guts and embark on many successful battles and climb in status. The cast of characters introduced are quite varied with some interesting people that help shape the narrative and Gut’s development.
The surprising factor is the moments of levity sprinkled throughout that help bind the reader to these characters. Allowing us to really understand the band and they’re solidarity. As mentioned they’re is a greater focus on the characterisation. However an equal focus is placed on the world building and the foreshadowing to a truly harrowing event. I’ve read horror, epic fantasy, cosmic sci-fi and gothic fiction and each genre has shown some cruel, depressing and tormenting moments. Yet nothing in fiction has compared to the “Eclipse”. I’ll say nothing more. Those that read it know. It will haunt me and will 100% impact my reread of the Black Swordsman and beginning of the Golden Age arc knowing what I know now. It completely decontextualised everything we thought we knew about Guts. There are many who say to skip the Black Swordsman arc but it’s necessary to read first in my opinion, to better feel the weight of the Eclipse and the brief epilogue of the arc before moving forward.
It’s almost baffeling how high in quality the jump is between arcs. Consisting of 10 volumes, which took at least 5 years really shows Miura’s artistic growth. The detail he imbues in his pages and paneling are a spectacle. It’s a great to read these in the Deluxe Edition.
If this is just the second arc then I am both excited and nervous to continue on this journey with Guts. An absolute flawless, perfect arc of storytelling, worldbuilding and characterisation.
Berserk - The Golden Age arc: 10/10
Luxurious and delicious bread adorns this absolute shit sandwich. Wylde is so much worse than I remember. Edgelord nonsense
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The very graphic and uncomfortable SA made me not able to give it a 5, but this is the most insane book in the series yet. The ending will leave you dying to grab the next one, the action and art is exquisite, I can't read this series fast enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated