I graded this with a 9, because it is still on-going and I don't know what to expect of the ending. Plus, I had very mixed feelings about this manga and it made me think a lot. I don't usually write reviews, but I felt this would clarify my thoughts on it.

-- Overall Impression --

First of all, this is a very gory piece of work. And I mean it. Men get slaughtered, guts everywhere, monsters, blood, torture, death, decay and all its companions**. The art is so good, that it sends chills down your spine, or at least you feel a bit sick after seeing all that. And then you get used to it, because in Berserk, the world seems like a vast ocean of despair. That is all the more reason for the human side of things (courage, love, sacrifice) to shine through.

What I really enjoyed in this manga is that the depiction of human feelings and thoughts is very real and very cruel. This manga makes you ponder and question humanity (and yourself while you're at it). It isn't just about a hero or a man seeking revenge (or at least I enjoyed the side characters more). I would recommend it only for those brave enough to endure the gore (I also avoided it for long because of the horror part), it certainly is one of the best I've read so far and it leaved a very deep impression on me.

**And also, I don't get why everytime you see women attacked, there's a rape. I mean, this is really a theme in this. Rape comes hand in hand with torture and death. Very troubling.

-- Characters and Story --

Characters: They really do seem to fit into the setting of the story: a time of war, of cruelty, of survival. Sometimes they surprise me, because when I expect them to be monsters, after committing crimes beyond imagination, they actually seem human or at least have feelings that a person could understand. For example, I liked the arc with the Count and also Luka, who almost seems out of place.

Main Characters: I am looking forward to see what happens. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be something like every female character has something for Guts which would be really annoying. Griffith is a really interesting character, because of his impatience to create a new world and his mistake, his fall. The twists of the story and quite thrilling. Speaking of twists, Caska's reaction after Griffith's transformation was a sort of a let-down but also a way for the story to keep rolling. I hope to see a come-back of some sort or an insight on her thoughts/feelings.

Story: On first sight, the plot may seem kind of boring (the betrayal and the revenge cliche), but it gets better because in my opinion, the characters are complex and Guts's view isn't always single-minded. But I don't know where or how the story will end, so I wouldn't bet on the story yet. So far, it was quite enjoyable, especially the time skip in the past.