Berserk - An Infinite Loop (?)

Carrying a sword bigger than himself and using a mechanical arm, the mysterious Guts carries with him a shower of blood and leaves a trail of corpses wherever he goes. At his side, the little elf Puck is surprised by the terror that haunts the Black Swordsman. His "stigma" attracts demons and evil spirits and among hordes that persecute him, Guts seeks revenge.

First of all, Guts is a really mysterious person. I didn't know Berserk, except for his fame. I hadn't read the manga nor watched any episodes of the anime (2017) and it was very pleasant to read that first volume. Not that anyone who already knows the title would not find it, but it is very good to read something that you already know will improve, to see that fame is not for nothing. As I didn't know the details of the plot (I only knew that the story was inspired by Shakespeare's "Macbeth"), this manga is loaded with mystery.

Guts live by defeating demons and with a mark on his neck, he has a stigma that attracts him. This same stigma bleeds when he approaches a creature dressed up as a human but actually feeds on them. We know that he seeks revenge, that he throws himself into this sea of blood for this, but we don't know the reason. He seems to be completely indifferent to the people around him, but we realize that it is something he wishes to establish, does not bond with anyone, does not suffer from losses. In short, Guts looks like a demon who has taken this path against his will, which has suffered greatly to the point where we know him.

The comic relief comes in the form of a little elf named Puck which Guts saved, though he himself denies it happened. The elf goes on to follow Guts and sees the darkness and horror surrounding him, but also sees that deep down, deep down, he is a good person.

The characteristics of Miura Kentarou fits in well with this type of story. Even in action scenes, you can clearly see what is happening, along with the gush of blood. In addition to the various sinister creatures exposed largely in the manga, the good thing to know is that he improves this trait more and more. The only negative point about Berserk comes not from his edition, but from the author himself. Miura writes on average two chapters a year and this makes the manga a risk of never being finalized.

All the mystery present in this first volume of Berserk binds the reader to the pages, besides the trait and, for those who like, blood and violence.

Story: 9 | Art: 8 | Character: 8 | Enjoyment: 8
Score: 8/10

Personal Note: Bought the first volume in Japanese and again, the story told in an oriental tone makes the reading experience somewhat different from the point of view of a western reader. This is the review of volume one only. I have a crush with first volumes of manga and in Berserk the key thing is this: for me the first volume sums it all up, summarizes the main idea of the author, the ostentation and what he really gave up to do, the second volume presents the reasons why the author chose that idea, basically explains the reason of the protagonist and the third volume (in this particular case) ends the main idea, which is the Black Swordsman Arc.