In the third volume of Berserk, Guts triumphs (barely) in his battle with the Slug Count, once again relying on cannon-in-arm ex machina to blow away an Apostle. Unfortunately, the God Hand intervenes, and Guts gets his chance finally to swing his sword at the demon Femto, who he calls Griffith. The pain of being so near a demon of that strength while branded nearly kills Guts, but his indomitable will carries through and he is able to at least make the attempt. Unfortunately the […]

Berserk 2 continues the Slug Count encounter of the Black Swordsman arc. We get a little more backstory about Guts, showing that in addition to being inhumanly strong, he is a master swordsman, able to perfectly deflect attacks moving so fast they can’t be seen. This surprises Puck, who thought up until now that Guts operated based only on brute strength. Guts makes his way into the Slug Count’s lair, fighting against him and insurmountable odds. This is one of the first times you see a constant […]

I’m cheating on multiple fronts here. I’ve already read Berserk multiple times, and I’ve already reviewed some of the deluxe library editions. However I’m working through some intense bullshit books right now (cough Atlas Shrugged) that are going to take me forever to finish, so I need to read something easier in between. Berserk 1 in this case refers to the first trade book of the Berserk manga series. In it and its opening Black Swordsman arc, we are introduced to Guts, an ultra-violent mercenary characterized immediately […]