Berserk: Black Swordsman Arc by Kentaro Miura Manga Review & Reaction | A First-Time Reader's Take

[@mikesbookreviews]

Hey bookworms! Sorry that I missed the gender of Puck. I’m not sure if I misspoke or really wasn’t aware when I recorded this. Well noted!

[@5IvanDrago5]

Ahhhh okay, we will let it slide this time, but dont ever do it again.

[@goudenso8618]

I thought he was a girl for about half of the series too lol

[@ImChaikneez]

@@5IvanDrago5 how sensitive are you? he really doesn’t have to do what you say because you simply don’t like it, sure it was a mistake but it really doesn’t matter, you’re upset about him “mis-gendering” a fictional elf from a manga that was illustrated almost 40 years ago. asshat.

[@ivo96]

@@ImChaikneez he trolling bro calm down lol 😂

[@bmoneybby]

Haha. Call the cancelled police!

[@epicgamer2727]

The Golden Age arc is one of the most influential pieces of media in the 20th century IMO.

[@4LegCrotch]

All of Berserk, really, I see influence from Conviction and Falcon of the Millennium Empire everywhere as well

[@theatheistbear3117]

@Yongo Bazuk I disagree. Demon’s Souls and the Souls games in general are very much inspired and influenced by it, as well as others. And more often than not, influence can come about in indirect ways.

[@a.syafiab]

@Yongo Bazuk Agree, Berserk is bloody brilliant.. But its influence is pretty niche, mostly restricted to games/arts or nerd/geeks culture in general, and not the masses.. Hell, not even everyone who watch anime/manga knows about Berserk

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes

[@turtleanton6539]

Videogames

[@Slayereyez]

Gatts or Guts starts as one note an ends up as a symphony. His don't touch me is well earned too. The world building and character development are second to none! Hurry up and read!... thank you for posting this and giving something out of your comfort a try.

[@eriktippie978]

This is the truth

[@bobbybalogne2565]

Gatsu

[@cloudbloom]

Mike I strongly recommend taking the time to let your eyes linger on every frame of the page even if it seems like there isn't much going on. Especially later on, Miura deliberately draws characters and surroundings with embedded symbolism in their poses or framing, as well as giving callbacks to panels from much earlier events. He was truly a brilliant artist and writer, filling the story with lots of symbolism and archetypes. Amazing stuff

[@jomsviking5976]

I started reading Berserk a couple days after Miura’s passing. Trust me I was freaking impressed, seriously some of the best I’ve read.

[@aliturk6692]

Mike you will be so impressed in the upcoming Arc, it's literally a make or break arc for the story.

[@ShellShock145]

Berserk has had such a powerful influence on me. It's a story that depicts the worst and best of humanity, but whose violence and horror is spotted with profound moments of silent reflection and hope. I'm looking forward to the Golden Age review.

[@1estel1ch.42]

lil correction there. miura passed away two weeks before it was announced. it's a japanese thing to let the family grieve in private before letting everyone else know. also puck is a boy

[@robinvuorinen9402]

The beautiful thing about reading Berserk from start to finish, is that you really can see the manga mature and evolve along with Miura. Might be weird at this point but this is possibly my favourite piece of media when it comes to plot and narrative. Cant wait to hear your thoughts on the golden age arc, I feel like im experiencing Berserk again through you

[@josephpa05]

I have the same feeling lol

[@xxhalomegabloksxx]

Glad that you can see the quality in this arc unlike a lot of people reading it. The grey in his hair is just a reflection effect by the artist, something really common in manga art.

[@KalleVilenius]

Yeah, Guts is only 23 years old here. His hair won't start turning white until a few months later.

[@ninjablack4347]

I kinda hate that people who will read the first 3 volumes will think "Meh, guy with huge sword and slays monsters. Been there done that" when its getting into the Golden Age which is the backstory of Guts and why he is so violent in the beginning.

[@arcanethink]

Guts is easily one of the best written characters I've come across. And if you think the art right now is great ( which it is ) know that it gets drastically better. Hard to imagine I know. Once you finish the manga I hope you check out the original 90s anime.

[@xPromekx]

As someone who loves the 90s anime I see no reason for someone who isn't in to anime to go back and watch it. It's not a bad adaption but the animation is dated and the story has significant cuts. The only thing it has over the manga is the music, in which case I would recommened just listening to the OST on youtube.

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

@@xPromekx It really hits different reading the manga with the osts

[@brandonw6139]

90s anime sucks little to no animation

[@arcanethink]

@@brandonw6139 if you want pretty animation over everything else , stick to shitty seasonals.

[@brandonw6139]

@@arcanethink why would you want an anime with bad animation? There's no point just read the manga

[@theatheistbear3117]

If you read while listening to music, Susumu Hirasawa’s work is the best companion piece you can get. Kentaro Miura himself requested he’d do the score for the 1997 Anime, and has done compositions for the other adaptations as well!

[@masonwilliams1345]

Mirua also said he would listen to his work while drawing and writing future volumes

[@theatheistbear3117]

@@masonwilliams1345 Exactly. They had huge influence on each other.

[@6pathuser344]

I usually listen to the anime track of the manga I am reading (as long as it has an anime that is). For the mangas with no anime I have some specific tracks I listen to and Hirasawa's work are part of my playlist

[@theatheistbear3117]

@@6pathuser344 His music is amazing.

[@6pathuser344]

@@theatheistbear3117 agreed

[@katieamarsh]

Mike, I don’t read manga but you’ve convinced me to try this. Horror too? Hell yes. I suspect you’re liking this by how fast you’re flying through them on goodreads.

[@bryansteele8368]

Try it out but make sure you get to the golden age arc before you decide to continue or stop. Guts becomes an actual character in it and the plot pretty much starts there.

[@YohananYGO]

You will love it

[@pRaX85815]

I don't read Manga either, except for Berserk.

[@ZephusVargr]

I'm curious if you've started already. Are you enjoying it?

[@josephpa05]

Did you read?

[@leberntaco1795]

Don’t mind me, just commenting to make sure Mike keeps doing these. 👍🏼

[@stewblare2190]

"and some dude named Griffith" that was the most ominous use of the word dude, ive ever heard.

[@theskyisteal8346]

It's really cool to see someone experience this for a first time. When I first read the manga, I had already seen the anime. It's cool to hear someone talk about the mystery of what happened considering I already knew the origin when I read it for the first time.

[@brandonw6139]

I read it chronologically so started with golden age then went back and read black swordsman.

[@monolith_hard8505]

19:00 there were other instances where he showed layers like when he felt bad for Vargas

[@Revanchist]

Welcome to the club, Struggler!

[@CRohrscheib]

The artwork looks amazing. I'm going to start it tonight, so excited!

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

And it gets even better! Enjoy the ride, and please continue reading up until volume 13. Then make a small break because you'll probably need one 😅

[@rigobertosolorzano8568]

If you read it what did you think?!

[@lowercase21]

Let us know after you pass the golden age arc please!! I'd like to know from a women's point of view.

[@shakthiganesh5117]

You think it looks amazing now? Oh boy, you aren't ready when the art gets significantly better.

[@kevinc.cucumber3697]

Why do i have a feeling you disliked it because of the presentation of violence and rape

[@benconlin3557]

I’ve read about 15 minutes of the first volume and didn’t realise you read right to left! I think I’ll start again as I guess it will make more sense now! 🤣

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

We've all been there 😂

[@shakthiganesh5117]

Lol. Must've felt like Dr. Strange reversing time reading it like that.

[@MillennialViking]

All you're asking of backstory questions and I'm just sitting here saying stay strong struggler those answers will come. FYI Puck's a dude

[@4LegCrotch]

I don't think Puck's gender is ever confirmed, but I guess if we compare Puck to Ivalera, we can say he's male

[@Alice-zm3du]

They call him he ? I guess

[@GeminEyeArt]

@@4LegCrotch Puck is definitely a dude.

[@4LegCrotch]

@@Alice-zm3du I don’t think Japanese has gendered pronouns, so the translator just assumed his gender

[@DetractosPwns]

@@4LegCrotch Puck refers to himself with the personal pronoun "Ore" which is used by teenage/young adults males in japan

[@invaderzod8092]

“What hurt this guy?” I guess now you know lol.

[@theatheistbear3117]

*Laughs in Eclipse*

[@Struggler12349]

@@theatheistbear3117 cries in eclipse

[@theatheistbear3117]

@@Struggler12349 *GRIFFITH!!*

[@SkuIIKn1ght]

Well he knows who hurt him at least, the why will be coming shortly

[@invaderzod8092]

@@SkuIIKn1ght he already finished Golden Age so he knows

[@arjanjung1009]

I cried alot when i got news of him dying. When i found his manga at 14 years old it shaped how i looked at live and myself, it gave me so much introperspective into my own being and why i do things. Miura almost felt like a second dad to me and guts like an older brother. Looking forward to the next ones

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

Agreed. Took me a few days to accept his death. Following it since i was 13, now 23. Im a religious person, so i hope that i can read Berserk how Miura planned it to do in paradise..

[@arjanjung1009]

@@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69 Im not religious but i wish there was an afterlife so i could read his finished work

[@joedivision7148]

It's good to see messages like this. I literally found out at just before I started my shift at work, I was a zombie all day. I got home, my wife left me alone because I had told her about him dying earlier in the day and how upset I was. I sat on the porch with a glass of whiskey reading the 2nd volume of the deluxe edition with the Guts theme playing on my headphones. I kind of broke down right there and started crying pretty hard I hate to say. I also started Berserk when I was about 14. It was 2004. When I learned the manga went past the anime, I was all in. I watched Berserk all night when my grandmother died that year. Rewinding the end credits for the song Waiting so Long. My point is I have a lot of my life associated with reading Berserk and it made an impact on me. I still haven't read the last chapter released. I'm not sure when I will.

[@doza8222]

Puck is a boy, and he did take inspiration from hell-raiser for the god hands.

[@markwatson8714]

The reason Guts seems one note at this point is because he pretty much is - he's heavily traumatised, focused entirely on his vendetta (which he doesn't expect to survive, nor do I think he wants to) to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. Puck is actually the first person (well, elf) who manages to reach in to him. It's why I think it's the first arc of the story - what you're actually seeing is Guts' first steps towards rehabilitation (and yes, you'll find out just how he ended up in this state in the next arc).

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

The Black Swordsman arc is much better on rereads after having context on Guts and Griffith’s pasts!

[@3x0ticContent]

One thing to consider is getting someone who has read the particular manga you are reviewing read the comment section for you to avoid spoilers. As a manga fan there are many toxic edgy kids in the community who will purposely spoil a series because it's funny to them and I've seen it happen many times to other channels that review manga. As you garner more manga fans to your channel dont put that trust in them to not spoil anything for you because eventually they will.

[@jasondoe2596]

Subscribed! As a longtime manga fan: You're spot on with your criticism! Guts does behave like an asshole during the first arc - but he's at one of his lowest points, and there are good reasons for his mental state (which I will not spoil). As you correctly guessed, the manga begins _in medias res_ . Characterisation is one of Berserk's strongest points. The art, too, but you haven't even reached the _real_ good stuff, in terms of artwork. Miura was a relative newbie when he was writing the Black Swordsman :) The "Golden Age" arc is considered a classic, but for me Berserk truly hits its stride after it ends. (My personal favorite is probably the "Conviction" arc, but it's a tough choice!) Getting used to the right-to-left direction is surprisingly easy, after a couple more volumes you won't even notice it. I'm eager to watch your comments as the story unfolds and its tone slightly changes (which is expected, as the author was getting older). The core themes stay the same, though. I do have a suggestion for you; since the arcs are getting larger and larger, once you hit the "Conviction" arc you should do separate videos for their constituent "Chapters". You can view them here: berserk.fandom.com/wiki/Releases_(Manga)#Story_Arcs (Spoiler-free page, if you don't click anything.) PS. Thank you for being so considerate and respectful towards Kentaro Miura's unexpected passing. At least his Art shall live on. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

[@Hank49716]

Black swordsman arc is such a great beginning, because it shows the reader where guts ends up before the golden age

[@t3cchan]

Your Hyperion review was my first foray into BookTube, and Berserk is another one of my all-time favorites! Keep up the amazing work, Mike!

[@buiavhamri4904]

Stoked about these reviews! The horror fantasy description is very fitting, especially for the first arch. It's worth noting that Miura was only 23 when he started drawing Berserk. The story will feel more mature as it progresses. Still I love it from the start.

[@andraska724]

Glad I found your channel, I'm always eager to see newcomers to Berserk. Regarding Guts being op, he definitely is but this is one of the few times were it actually works. While there are very few human opponents that can give Guts a challenge, his main enemies, the apostles always have ridiculous abilities so Guts can't overpower them at all. He needs to use all the tricks in his bag just to survive and always gets pushed to the limit in every fight against them. You'll notice that he mostly uses his huge sword as a shield in apostle fights and tries to create an opening for his main offensive tool, the hand canon. If he was only fighting against humans and spirits it might get boring after 40 volumes but since the main antagonists are so beyond human power, he will struggle in every fight and Guts struggling is one of the main themes of the whole story.

[@TheDanishahmad]

Mike i think you have underestimated the popularity of manga. I'm sure they will end up outdoing your other weekly/monthly contents.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes

[@ButtslammerBob]

I said it on the discord but Berserk videos will prolly do better than most of his content.

[@TheDanishahmad]

Yeah mostly because anime and manga have a considerably larger following as compared to books.

[@ButtslammerBob]

Maybe. It's mostly because of the property chosen rather than it being manga.

[@bmoneybby]

Probably huh. Overtime

[@KakashiHatake-ou7mp]

Griffith is a complicated character that's well executed. Really adds a lot to the whole story

[@ddfstar7588]

Griffith is my favorite character. Love him

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

@@ddfstar7588 You sick f*ck lmao. Yea, Griffith is great 😁

[@adamled99]

So many great manga out there. I implore you to keep exploring the medium.

[@coltonsorrels8665]

I started reading Berserk with the "Golden Age" First, a friend had me start it like that, then went into "The Black Swords Man" chronologically. I liked reading it like that, cause he didn't mention anything about what it was about, then when crazy stuff happened I was like woah, this was unexpected.

[@wheelchazeal8089]

I didn’t read it that way but I’ve started to wonder if that’s the way to do it. Seems like a really good way to do it though.

[@janehexum4093]

funny thing is i did that by mistake

[@WhatIsNature]

Reading it in the order you did has its perks. As you mention, you get the shock as things are completely unexpected. But I'm not sure if it's better or worse than reading in release order. Because that way you get the foreboding. Both orders have their advantages. AFAIK, the Berserk fanbase doesn't have a consensus for how to read it. If anything, the consensus is to read it in release order. But, any given person will prefer it one way or the other, or will even just prefer the way that they read it. I read it like you did, and I loved the surprise. Yet, I'm also really jealous of the people who read it in release order, and I feel like I missed out on the foreboding. I'll never know what that was like. Either way, I don't want to get too much into it, because this conversation can quickly become spoiler-ish when getting into the specifics of defending either order. Ultimately, it's subjective for which way you prefer.

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

@@WhatIsNature I can try to explain it to you since i read it in the release order: That sense of foreboding you mentioned definitely sticks around at first. You just know something happened and it was probably something bad. However, then the Golden Age Arc dropped. Slowly but surely, that sense of foreboding slid into the background. It was still there, but you didnt actively expect anything. Not until the first reminder and warning came from a certain Demon. After that, it was a little more present, however, as story and characters progressed and at the peak of joy for the characters, it started spiralling downhill. That sense of foreboding getting stronger with each event from now on. Basically you went along with the flow first and felt positive emotions. They were basically the stage and the foreboding was backstage. Ironically, now foreboding was in stage and hope (and other positive emotions), that things might get to how they were, started dropping into backstage. And then, when that foreboding or rather the questions were answered at the climax..it was bad. Very bad. You expected it to be bad but not THAT bad. It was almost comparable to having cancer, then hearing about treatment that has a 1% chance of healing it. Treatment is fine and you make progress and start hoping. But then reality kicks in and you realize you've been thinking wishfully. It slaps you so hard that you immediately think of the beginning and tell yourself ,,I knew this, didnt i? Why did i think it will have a happy end? Miura told us in the beginning..so why did i delude myself?" It may sound dramatic, but i was 13 when i read it for the first time. And never ever have i felt such dark emotions in my life again. Im 23 as of now. That climax literally became my greatest fear now. Not with demons, but humans ofc. But they can be as bad or even worse than demons for all i know. Nevertheless, i now fear what happened to Guts the most in my life and i can say for sure that i wouldnt have the strength to continue just as he said. Berserk really made an impact on me, my perspectives and values. I even named myself after Guts' nickname lol

[@sjor3569]

I am actually really looking forward to you reading the Golden Age, but can’t wait for that review.

[@Highlite17]

So glad you started Berserk, Mike. Even better you are enjoying it so much. It's something that has stuck in my mind for years. The Golden Age arc is iconic, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on that one next. One of my all-time favorite stories, and Guts is such an incredible protagonist. You should give a listen to some of Susumu Hirasawa's various soundtracks for the adaptations, especially the 1997 anime. That soundtrack, especially the song Forces, is forever linked with the series. Hirasawa just understood how to match that tension, horror, and sorrow that the series is so well known for.

[@jhvghjgjkhlihli]

Berserk is one of the best, if not THE best story every told.

[@colinjones5379]

Hi Mike, I found you through your Malazan videos, and I'm excited to see you taking on Berserk too. If I have one recommendation to elevate your enjoyment of this series even further, it is to listen to some of the music composed by Susumu Hirasawa for the adaptations of Berserk. Some fav tracks include: Guts' Theme, Ghosts, Forces, Indra, Behelit, and Earth.

[@dragonguy429]

I'm so excited to see you dive deeper into the series

[@cloudbloom]

Edit: I need to watch the entire video before commenting lmao you just mentioned this towards the end Btw the God Hand demon lords at the end of the black swordsman arc were named after old sci fi novels which Miura enjoyed, including one by Herbert called Destination: Void (the demon with the exposed brain and sewn eyes is Void)

[@ObiWann90]

I just started reading Berserk too and in the middle of the Golden Age now, and WOW! This is an epic and I can't stop reading. Though the Golden Age starts out with some very rough material to have to read through. I had to read something happier for a bit after that lol. Edit: I'm probably the millionth person to say this to you but Puck is a boy.

[@cloudbloom]

I won't spoil anything whatsoever, but seriously be prepared for volume 13. It's exceptionally heavy, have something lighthearted queued up for when you finish that volume

[@ObiWann90]

@@cloudbloom reading one piece along side lol, but maybe a nice Brandon Sanderson book next.

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

@@ObiWann90 One Piece has some very dark themes aswell though lol However, Volume 13 literally gave me a small trauma. My biggest fear in life now is what happened in Volume 13. Be prepared

[@josephpa05]

@@ObiWann90 where are you at now?

[@wheelchazeal8089]

I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far. I’m looking forward to your future thoughts. 🤘

[@oscarchavezavellan2738]

Griffith's godhand name, femto, is an actual matemathical term, it's really interesting when you look it up.

[@mrwhale7351]

Isn't that name not revealed till golden age

[@arcanethink]

Don't spoil him!

[@coffeedude]

@@mrwhale7351 It's not, the other members of the godhand refer to him by that name

[@mrwhale7351]

@@coffeedude oh I must not remember that

[@oscarchavezavellan2738]

@@arcanethink Femto appears before golden age. God, even Mike mentions his name in this review

[@nicholashamilton6274]

Glade to hear you like this arc. I've always been stunned by the amount of people that see the Black Swordsman arc as the part you have to get through. To me it's just another example of the mastercraft that is Berserk, enough that other than the Golden Age it's probably my favorite part of the story. It establishes a lot about what Guts has to be in this world and the early example of him as struggler. I see it a lot like the early part of Vash's character in a series called Trigun (Another story to consider) where they essentially have to act as someone who they aren't, even if their are differences between these examples in the detail.

[@connorcoffing537]

Found this channel BECAUSE of your first berserk video. It makes me super happy because I was in a similar situation to you wherein I started berserk the month of Miura's passing. Its a tragedy such a long running series can never get its proper conclusion, but the work deserves to be remembered and discussed

[@andrewdestefano4143]

I watched the 90's anime which ends with the Golden Age Arc finishing, so when I started reading the manga I completely understood Guts insanity, and it takes on a completely different perspective knowing what happened

[@Arcticos0]

It’s Manga 101 that you read Vagabond and/or Monster after having read Berserk.

[@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69]

Then stop and never ever read manga again. There is only a handful more masterpieces. The rest isnt even close

[@Pekara121]

For Seinen yeah. If you want to read great shonen mangas then you defenitely have to read One Piece, Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist Brother Hood. There is some other good ones aswell.

[@6pathuser344]

No you read Kaguya sama love is war after berserk... everyone knows that

[@Ash_Wen-li]

@@smittywerbenjaggermanjensen69 I'm sure if you tried hard enough you could find at least 100 worth reading Of course Berserk Vagabond and Monster will remain at or near the top

[@victorgonzalez9605]

Drawing on some parallelisms here Mike. I also started reading Beserk about a week before Miura's death. Still reading the golden age, and i am anxious to listen to your reviews. Things are getting grim

[@joedivision7148]

Dude you're starting manga with Berserk? Setting that bar real high early on. I love it.

[@theduckularpeanuts]

New subscriber! Super excited to see how you like my favorite piece of literature. Also a stephen king fanatic and a big comic book guy, so I'm happy KZbin recommendations brought me to your channel!

[@Dwish305]

First of all, words can’t express how much I look forward to seeing you and others getting to experience Berserk for the very first time. I made three playlists all with different types of songs. I was very selective with my song selection, mostly focusing on Susumu Hirasawa songs and exclusive Berserk OST’s from games and anime. Hearing these songs while reading the manga enhances the experience, however, don’t feel like you always need to have a song playing in the background. Some songs are loops and some are not. Feel free to give me feedback if you prefer long looped songs versus shorter ones as well as the order of the song selection. If you want to loop a song and are playing it on the computer, right click the video and click “loop”. I want to ensure that you see this, so I’ll post this on every Berserk video that you’ve made. Thanks again for the content, I look forward to your future videos. - Danel Berserk Hype/Battle Songs kzbin.info/aero/PLizeOw7LgJEVgk1qP5vCIwJ9nKZBfb8Wo Berserk Epic/Emotional Songs kzbin.info/aero/PLizeOw7LgJEWOmfqjfQxiZnB_2XQWCDoR Berserk Mood Setters Dark/Light/Exposition kzbin.info/aero/PLizeOw7LgJEUDKNyI1JvA25e2PhNgucPH

[@felipedelfino1353]

Amazing video man

[@Grimmers]

Honestly not sure what to comment because you covered pretty much every talking point fans give to new readers lol; the rough but still good few volumes, the art improvement, the golden age being next, the violence notice, etc. You could almost mistake this for a review from a die hard fan who's read the whole thing, you've clearly done some good due diligence research prep for this one, so respect. Looking forward to your golden age video(s)!

[@skyanaugustus3513]

I am happy that you gave the series a shot, Mike and your criticisms are valid. You definitely showed respect to the material given the circumstances. I really like this story and it will definitely improve later on. Just stay with it and enjoy.

[@junk06]

I'm really excited for the next video about Berserk! This made me subscribe!

[@Jibcutter]

Same even though I watched the First Law video awhile back. Been reading Berserk for 20 years myself so I subbed to see his journey through it.

[@AJPzaworld]

Guts is hands down is not only one of the most well written characters out there, he’s one of the coolest out there. Black Swordsman gets a lot of hate, but I like it quite a bit for how well it establishes the tone of the narrative, as well as just how awesome Guts is. The moment I was sold on the series was-besides a certain Golden Age scene-when Guts uses his mouth to hold Dragonslayer, as well as the final panel of Black Swordsman. Spoilers should be fine by when you cover Golden Age and Conviction/Retribution Nomenclature. Just a note, the Dark Horse translation is not really accurate to the original Japanese, we just kind of have to deal with it since this is the best we can get.

[@brasteen1]

@Bradley Puppies Yep. Black Swordsman really is Guts at his lowest point. When literally the only thing keeping him going is killing Griffith and anything that stands in his way of achieving that goal. The fact that he's still somewhat sane after everything that's happened to him is a miracle in itself.

[@jasonsouth1652]

speaking of letting your influences show theres a panel later that is just a recreation of a renaissance painting

[@ANunes06]

Re: Guts is unlikeable. 2 things completely elevate the character. 1. Everything that turns him into the Black Swordsman 2. Watching this lunatic painstakingly piece together his own humanity through sheer force of will

[@lain5858]

I disagree. I liked Guts from the begining whitout even knowing of his backstory. Characters like Naruto are the ones "unlikeable" to me.

[@crumb5756]

I absolutely cannot wait to see the review for the Golden age arc

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

Im an adventurous film buff so watching films from other countries is pretty common for me. I think its important and fun to see how people from vastly different upbringings and world views tackle human emotion & humanity as a whole. Its very exciting and I reccomend anyone to branch out of your comfort zone. The world creates a TON of quality art, books and film. Enjoy the journey.

[@maclaynecredere5103]

Please keep reviewing this I found your channel because of the berserk review I’d love to watch the rest of the videos

[@neverknow2474]

Wow great video! Based on your thoughts so far I couldn’t be more excited to see the next part of this video series. Seriously, I am so excited.

[@nikolai6361]

Really hope to see another video on Berserk!

[@AmazingJaze]

Can't wait for the next one! I just found you this week and I subbed because of this video today.

[@ShadeNinja2990]

Mike this thing is going to knock your block off, every arc is more brutal than the last and the writing and artwork only improves over time.

[@JunoSorin]

Please continue this series as you go by arcs, you're well spoken!

[@ZetaStriker0000]

Can't wait to see your Golden Age video too, that's when things really pick up and the story's themes and excellent characterization come to the fore.

[@brasteen1]

Definitely would love more videos on Berserk arcs.

[@SnerdWilliams]

KZbin had hidden your content from me for a while, but I come back to see you're reading Berserk!

[@TheBlueOwlX]

My top three favourite fantasy stories are: A Song of Ice and Fire, Malazan: Book of the Fallen, and Berserk. You're in for one wild ride, Mike!

[@cloudbloom]

So stoked you finally are getting around to berserk. It's unbelievably great and I'm not ashamed to say that it saved my life. RIP Miura🙏

[@cloudbloom]

Berserk was the first manga I read as well back in 08, the only other I've read is chainsawman last year. Berserk is easily my favorite story of all time (even above Dune & WoT), I know that it is absolutely right up your alley Mike

[@moominkomet]

@@cloudbloom 🧚 hello!

[@cloudbloom]

@@moominkomet I KNEW I'D SEE YOU HERE!! love this channel I've been a follower from the beginning! How are ya miss I hope you and the hubby are well☺

[@moominkomet]

@@cloudbloom we are doing well! We’ve both been working like crazy! I tried for the billionth time to get hubby to read Berserk and he won’t…. 😭. I got a friend to read it and I don’t think he liked it very much…. All he could remember was that Puck was going to use Betchi as bait to earn its keep! So I don’t talk about Berserk with my friend…. He’s missed the whole point of the story. In fact he hated how it ended… ( volume 40) oh well. I know why my husband won’t read it. He’s seen enough people die in the hospital. It did change him. So, it’s my treasure. Meh…. As you can tell, I’m not over Miura’s passing…. Heck, I’m not over David Bowie’s either come to think of it. 😔 I hope you are doing well! I’m sure I’ll see you around on this channel. I subbed!

[@YetiCoolBrother]

Great review overall. A lot of your negative take aways come from the fact that the story starts in media res, it's great that you pointed all those things out though because that means the story was effective in sparking your curiosity.

[@soulaimaneagalf5264]

Love that you’re getting into manga and this is a perfect place to start since you’re into grimdark type stuff

[@rudahansa5059]

I'm glad you are enjoying it. Keep the Berserk content coming! Puck is a boy btw.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

I'm very impressed by your open mindedness, not shunning manga and necessarily thinkijg that they're for kids. You probably have the fact you've read comics throughout your life to thank for that, however I imagine the usual reader would think less of them.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I believed in a lot of those stereotypes about Manga for a long time. Now I feel I've seen the light.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

@@mikesbookreviews I mean many of them still are, but not all of them and that's what's important to know. If you broaden your horizons, chances are you'll find something new to fall in love with. Glad to see how well you reacted to the Golden Age arc, that one solidified Berserk as my favorite piece of media ever. Can't wait to see what you think of the upcoming arcs.

[@thebrothersgwynne]

Really enjoyed this. Now I am definitely tempted to buy The Black Swordsman. Will

[@jasonsouth1652]

I will say black swordsman is so much better on the re read, the characterisation becomes more clear and foreshadowing is revealed.

[@cloudbloom]

Agreed, I love how you become aware of why guts is in rampage mode and his mindset/emotional state in the black swordsman arc

[@brandons2640]

would love to see all your reviews on this manga (:

[@JudeauChop]

I have to suggest snagging the new Dark Horse Deluxe editions, the larger pages make the amazing artwork even more grand.

[@HaloDude909]

Can't wait to see the rest in this series of reviews. Subbed!

[@solus48]

Glad you're reading this, it's really one hell of a journey.

[@DW221090]

The black swordsman arc is very good in retrospect. It's so much fun to see you go through this, and I'm really looking forward to see you what you think of the next arc.

[@rigobertosolorzano8568]

I see that the Berserk videos got a lot of view, I hope you comeback to finish this story

[@KalleVilenius]

Puck is not a girl, girl elves have dresses. I'm not joking about this. And that scene with the possessed family makes a whole different kind of sense after the Golden Age, Guts having hang-ups over killing a child stemming from something horrible he does there. In other news, Berserk is the highest selling title from Dark Horse. Berserk is more popular than Hellboy, despite the latter having 3 Hollywood movies. I thought that was neat.

[@aravpradosh1244]

I just started berserk as well and it's also my first manga and I gotta say it doesn't disappoint and lives up to the hype , hope you have a fun time reading it as well 😁

[@Kibashino2]

Mooooore! It's so cool to hear you talk about some other formats of literature

[@justsomeguyontheinternet.4398]

Berserk is great, my 4th favorite manga. Golden age and Conviction are one of the best manga arcs.

[@shakthiganesh5117]

What is your top 5?

[@justsomeguyontheinternet.4398]

@@shakthiganesh5117 1) AoT 2) kingdom 3) vinland saga 4) berserk 5) Tokyo Ghoul.

[@shakthiganesh5117]

@@justsomeguyontheinternet.4398 Hmm. That's a decent list. For me it's: 1)Berserk 2)Vinland Saga 3)Aot 4)One piece 5)One punch man

[@zm5470]

Looking forward to the berserk journey and your review on the golden age arc. My favorite arc in all of anime/manga.

[@UCDupleix]

When I finished it, I wished I had never read it bcuz it definitely changed me. But now that I accepted it, I hold like a religious book and brandish it at any occasion. Be prepared to join a sect.

[@Aluminatihusker]

I’ve been waiting for this!! Great video! I can’t wait until you read the Golden Age Arc too! That arc is so amazing that I enjoy people reading it for the first time almost as much as when reading it myself. It’s so good you just want everyone to experience it!

[@RedLineTheMov]

great review cant wait for the next one oh man you are in for a ride

[@NarutoMakunouchi]

I'm a huge manga fan (2,000 volumes owned and growing), and I've been reading Berserk for 20 years. It is one of the best written stories, and Miura's art is amazing. Berserk paved the way for dark fantasy manga titles to follow. I look forward to your thoughts after you read the Golden Age Arc.

[@MO-OP]

I don't know if someone has recommended this to you Mike or not, but I highly recommend listening to Guts theme song. IT IS AMAZING.

[@Luai93]

You will LOVE guts .

[@midasgold9379]

There are definitely some good manga out there, it's also become more popular than comics these days, so i'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@Nastyn1nja808]

Can't wait for your next review!

[@Junior_7279]

subbed cant wait for more berserk reviews.