Being the top rated manga on MAL, inevitably, I began Berserk with high expectations. Ultimately, Miura makes fantastic use of the medium to bring us a compelling story with well fleshed out characters. Despite this, the manga begins to suffer from a few overarching issues, at certain points.

Story- 8/10:

The first thing to note is that Berserk has a relatively slow start. I personally think that the story would have been more interesting and suspenseful if it had started from Guts' childhood.

However, the Golden Age Arc quickly makes up for any issues with the opening. As many people have already observed, this arc is where Berserk truly shines. It includes a bunch of meaningful fights, character interactions, and fantastic world building. All of this is combined with a bunch of overarching philosophical messages.

Miura conveys the themes of the arc wonderfully, through imagery, such as the ''Campfire of Dreams'', or through the character's monologues. The use of a narrator made the series play out as a novel at times too, making it an absolute pleasure to read and experience.

I do not think that it is necessary to divulge any of the themes in Berserk, as that itself is part of the reading experience.

The main factor detracting from my score here was consistency. Especially later on, some encounters drag on and don't add much to the overall plot. Having said that, the overall story and world-building of Berserk are excellent.

Art- 9/10:

The art gets better as the manga progresses. Miura does a wonderful job of juxtaposing light and dark shades throughout the manga. Especially through his character designs. The imagery of light surrounding Griffith's character was nicely contrasted with the dark imagery that characterises Guts. This magnificent use of imagery reflects how morality is not as black and white as it may seem. Furthermore, it could be interpreted as a comment on the hypocrisy of religion and idolatry. There are many ways to interpret things in Berserk. That is what makes it wonderful to analyse.

There is definitely not much to complain about here. The overall style fits the morbid tone of the series too.

Character- 8/10:

Although the two main characters are well-developed and intriguing characters, a few of the side characters were far too archetypal and one-dimensional. Puck and Isidro are the largest culprits here. They provide unnecessary comedic relief and really ruin the tone of the manga.

Berserk's plethora of side characters mirrors the vastness of its world. As a result of this, some characters are inevitably more likeable than others. My personal favourite side character was Serpico. His backstory is wonderfully written, and his character growth is lovely to witness.

In my opinion, Griffith is the most interesting character in Berserk. It is fascinating to see the polarising views on Griffith from Berserk fans. He is an extremely enigmatic and complex character. Griffith is everything an antagonist should be-- he has genuine depth, and no cliché sob story behind his motives.

Enjoyment- 8/10:

Berserk is a highly enjoyable series. The only thing detracting from my enjoyment was the shallow humour and some of the elongated encounters I alluded to earlier.

I would most certainly reread my favourite segments of the manga. I'm sure I would pick up on more minute symbolic details upon reading it a second time, too.


Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Berserk. Although it has a few flaws, at its peak, Berserk is unrivalled.