Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Berserk, Volume 18 by Kentaro Miura

29 reviews

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I love Puck and I love Guts

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

(I read this first in 2016, and then I’m rereading it in 2025
I actually read this in three volumes both times, first paperback and then digitally, but I didn’t want to have this as my most-read author, so I’m recording it here as sets.)

I’d forgotten how emotional this series was, especially in the first arc, the Black Swordsman. The second volume will be all Golden Age, which I’m looking forward to rereading. I love Puck, though, so I look forward to finishing the Golden Arc too to get more of him. 

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fast-paced

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Guardians of Desire chapters are what sold me on this series. Guts and Puck interactions set the tone brilliantly and will make you excited for their return dozens of chapters later.

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The first 3 volumes of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk set an unbelievable high watermark going forward. Its pages are filled with the most sublime and horrifying dark fantasy storytelling ever written. His art is simply some of the most jaw dropping and horrific imagery you can imagine. And yet it doesn’t repel you as it reader it makes you insatiable for more. You have to see what happens next. 

Guts as a main character starts out about as unlikeable as a “hero” can be. But by the end of the of Berserk’s first arc you get a taste of the rage and hatred that fuels him. You get these compelling glimpses into how he can be so callous and stand offish to the innocent and endangered around him (not that it makes his behavior excusable really just understandable). And as the second arc just barely begins and we see even just the tip of the iceberg of the pain, loss, and suffering that he’s endured it makes sense all the more how he can be the way that he is. 

This is a reread for me but I was just as captivated and horrified as I was the first time around. If you are at all a fan of horror, video games like Dark Souls, or the work of Clive Barker then Berserk is a must read series. 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The beginning of one of the best mangas out there. If you can handle the trigger warnings I encourage you to read the incredible story Miura-sensei was able to give us in his life.

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dark sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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