Product Description

Created by Kenturo Miura, Berserk is manga mayhem to the extreme - violent, horrifying, and mercilessly funny - and the wellspring for the internationally popular anime series. Not for the squeamish or the easily offended, Berserk asks for no quarter - and offers none! His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won't take his fate lying down; he'll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned - and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117952 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

Hooked since the anime
I have been a huge fan of Berserk since watching the episodes of the anime. I started buying the mangas because it continues where the anime left off. I had to decide whether to get the manga from the very begining or wait for the volume where the anime ended which is volume 12/13, I got it from the begining and have to say Im really very glad I did. At first I didnt think i'd like the feeling of going from an anime to a manga but after the first volume I was converted. It was as though I was experiencing Berserk for the first time. The manga is very very different from the anime, so much is left out of the anime from the manga and the manga is much much more violent which is always good in my book. Everything about Berserk is intriging and will leave you wanting more volumes each time, easily one of the best mangas ever made (has sold 35+ million vols)and very very highly recommended to anyone who likes manga, provided that your 18+ of course.

One of the best comic series ever created!
Quite simply the Berserk series is a comic masterpiece and is essential reading for anyone with a taste for adult fiction.

With characters and storylines as complex and developed as any novel, berserk is set in a mythical medieval world and follows the story of Guts the Black Swordsman as he struggles against his destiny.

Books 1 and 2 introduce you to Guts but don't really endear you to him as he is not a very likeable character, sure its great when he cuts people in half or mercilessly punishes evil monsters with his ridiculously huge sword but he seems unnecessarily cruel at times. Persevere however and you will find it very worth it. Berserk really hits it's stride at book 3 where you meet the sinister Godhand and get a deeper look into what motivates Guts. its here that the story and art develop dramaticaly as it explains guts past and you see the experiences that make him act the way he does. It's then you grow to love the characters.

I love the way the story starts as horror / action before launching into a huge flashback that lasts right up to book 13 and is more like a period drama at times! The sinister undertones are always present however, as having seen the future you know that things are going to turn out badly for guts and his companions and as you begin to care more about the characters it creates a sense of dread. The series gradually gets more and more sinister as it starts to re-introduce the apostles and the godhand with some truly shocking scenes that culminate in volume 13 which is probably the most intense graphic novel I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

With the as yet unreleased volume 14 we pick up where we left off in book 3 with much more respect for Guts and his crusade. There are currently 31 volumes released in japan with the story showing no signs of ending soon!

I'm glad in these english volumes DarkHorse have presented the story fully uncut as Miura intended, as had it been censored it would have lost some of what makes it special.

If you are easily shocked or offended this is not for you but if your looking for a deep story with great art and packed full of action (and blood) then brace yourself and start reading reading Berserk Vol 1 right now!

BERSERK IS HERE!!!AT LAST!!!
From what I can tell, and what I've been told, this manga series takes place after the anime series, meaning that the anime is a prequel to the manga since the manga came first. One thing I have noticed about this though, is that this manga should NOT be read at the same time you watch the series, because I have recently learned that these two storylines combined don't make for anything more than a huge pile of confusion.

The storyline for this manga centers around Guts, as does the anime, but this storyline, rather than explaining Guts' childhood as the anime does, explains about how he is traveling the world in search of everyone he seeks for revenge. So basically what this means is that this manga follows Guts around as he slays monstrous demons and chops soldiers in half by the dozen. The only twist to this is that he is being followed by an elf named Puck that he "saved" at the beginning of the story. And while Guts doesn't care too much for the elf, he does come in handy every now and then, and provides a nice sense of comic relief when Guts swats him around like a fly.

Sure there isn't a huge storyline backing this story yet, but it's incredibly entertaining and a joy to read. At long last Berserk is released making this a great manga that will please any Berserk fans, and is sure to please those who love manga filled with gallons of blood and heaps of dead bodies.