“...to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering.” - Gordon W. Allport
Berserk is the story of Guts, a mercenary known as the Black Swordsman. The story is set in a medieval fantasy world which includes elements of horror and the supernatural.
Berserk Deluxe Edition Volume One collects the first three volumes of the regular editions in a larger format and on better paper. While volume one of the regular editions is an okay introduction to the character and the world, the story really gets going in volumes two and three.
I’ve seen Berserk referred to as a blood-soaked sword and sorcery epic. That’s a good description. Guts puts his weapons, a tricked-out crossbow and a rather large sword to good use pretty quickly. The art doesn’t hold back in terms of violence and gore which may turn off some readers. The action and battle scenes are outstanding. The scenes of gore can be off-putting.
As the story progresses it becomes apparent that there is more going on than just wild action scenes. The art is amazing but it’s the hints of a deeper story that have made me want to keep reading.
Which brings me to another point. In an interview in the Berserk Guidebook, Miura talked about his influences. He mentions all kinds of things including American action movies, the Fist of the North Star manga, Robert E. Howard, The Name of the Rose (1986), magic, witchcraft, and Disney movies. I find this really interesting but on top of that it looks like Miura was also influenced by philosophy.
I found a video on YouTube titled Berserk as a Nietzschean Tragedy. It mentions that Berserk includes allusions to Plato, Descartes, Hegel, Jung, as well as Nietzsche. It also states that Berserk is an example of the paradox of tragedy. This refers to tragedy, while something that people want to avoid in real life, is something that people sometimes seek out and can get emotional catharsis from in fiction. Because of the events in my life over the last few years I’ve found myself more and more interested in philosophy and the storytelling found in tragedies.
So, is Berserk a Nietzschean tragedy or an adolescent fantasy about a guy with a big sword? I’m thinking it’s a little of both and I’m intrigued to read further.
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