Berserk, Volume 3

this is a really good buy it is fun for the kids muh wa hahaha

At this point, I am confident that those that are following this manga have realized that this story is so good that it consumes your life. Each volume gets better and better, even though when reading the first one I thought that there was no real way to improve on that, and little by little the story becomes darker. When I watched the anime I thought it was one of the most violent and sexually explicit productions in the genre, but the manga easily tops that. The amazing quality of the graphics contributes to the vividness of these scenes. At the end of volume 2, Guts was in serious trouble, beaten almost to death by the count and his inner demon, and hanging on barely by a thread. The present volume starts with a crucial development, since by using the Behelit, Guts, Puck, the count and his daughter end up in a different dimension. One where they encounter the God Hands, and where there are important revelations about Guts' past and the meaning of the brand. Also, a main character from the anime makes his appearance. Griffith is one of the demons in this hellish dimension, and it is clear that Guts already knows and hates him. The final episode in this volume has to do with Guts' childhood, which is when the main story in the anime really begins. We get to see Guts as a baby, "rescued" by the ruthless Gambino and his lover from a sure demise, and then witness his tough upbringing. This trip back in time is a great idea, since it allows the readers to understand this fascinating character better. The end of the volume is as disturbing as it is enigmatic, so once again, it is probably a great idea to have the next one handy. A new level of violence is reached in this volume, so there may be a few people that could stand this until now but find this new step to be overwhelming. Nevertheless, I believe that most hard-core fans will find this volume to be extraordinary and will be looking forward to the next one, as am I.

Berserk, amazingly, continues to get better, and for a series that was already a five in my book, that makes it very difficult to rate this, as five is the highest it can go here. With this volume, I'd give it a six easily, and possibly a seven. The artwork is great, the characters and their interactions are well-done, and the dark atmosphere that surrounds the story of Guts is enough to gag on, but in a good way, to be sure. In this volume, Guts's battle with the Count continues, only now there is a witness to this fight of blood and madness, the Count's daughter and pride Theresia. And, of course, the ever present Puck. But just as the conclusion seems to be coming, the fight is interrupted by the God Hand, and among this group of five demon gods is Guts's hated rival, Griffith. This is probably the highlight of the manga, especially if you've seen the anime series, as it finally links Guts's past to his present. After that, the story goes deep into the past, and to the tortured childhood of Guts under the mercenary Gambino. I'd recommend this volume and all of the Berserk manga volumes to anyone who is a fan of mature manga. In fact, I highly recommend buying not one or two but three at a time, money permitting, because you'll find yourself finishing these books in short order. Advance Warning: This volume contains some very mature content (including an orgy scene and implied molestation), so for anyone who feels uncomfortable about things of this nature, do stay away. This is definitely a manga for adults and should be read with care. Treat this like a bottle of prescription medicine: keep it high on a shelf where no children can reach it.

Guts is in rare form as he confronts the target of his search in this volume. Berserk is a violent and disturbing book. Guts seems to no longer care about anything or anyone except revenge on the one who betrayed him. In many ways, this reminds of Conan (dark, bloody fantasy where magic is both rare and feared). The TV series was largely a flashback except for the first episode. In volume 3 of the manga, is still focusing on "the present" though there are elements of the flashback present. Having watched the TV series and yearned for an actual ending, I began buying these volumes. As only maybe 7 of these have been released and the manga is something like 28 volumes, I don't know that it will happen. However, I am seeing much more of his further adventures (that take place after the final episode of the TV series) even in just these first few volumes.

Oh, how it pains me to read a volume of Berserk, each one leaving me pining even more so for the next one. For fans of the anime series, volume three is THE volume to own! Where the first two books started off showing a bit more of Guts life right at the moment, not much reference is really made to the part of the story shown to us in the anime, which was pretty much one giant flashback. However, in this volume, we get to see Griffith!! Already a proud member of the demonic Godhand (and loving it, may I add), the interaction between the two is absolutely fascination. And, there is a also a flashback to when Griffith and Guts used to fight battles together, back when Griffith was still Guts' Idol. And, might I add, I really like Puck, a character unique to the manga alone. With the story being as graphically violent as it is, its kind of nice seeing a little compassion comeing from somewhere at least. This little Elf is pretty darn cute and he does add a bit of comic relief. But best of all, in this volume, we get to see baby Guts!! He's so cute!! And 3 year old guts, and 6 year old guts, and 9 year old guts! (I'm sure you see a pattern here). After finishing the exciting story arc of the mad ruler turned demon slug type creature, we are shown a flashback of Guts' birth and past growing up. Most of this was depicted in the anime, but we see slight variations. His adopted father, while being depicted in the anime as being moderately cruel all throughout (not counting when he totally loses it at the end), he is shown here with a wider variety of personas, going from horribly cruel, to surprising moments of kindness.However, the end leaves you hanging with a part of his past that wasn't in the anime at all, so I'm absolutely dying for the next volume. This is a series that you won't want to miss. Berserk is my all time favorite manga and anime ever!