I think that it’s widely known that Berserk by Kentaro Miura is the greatest manga of all time. It’s a gosh darn 10/10 in nearly every aspect – art, storyline, characters, growth, scope of world. – you name it, Berserk has mastered it. The story is an epic of grand proportions with centuries worth of lore, a world full of outlandish characters and creatures, all circling around one man and his own quest of finding what life is supposed to mean for him. At its core it seems to be a dark fantasy, however this themes in which it touches on revolving around grieving from death, childhood trauma, causality, and many others is what makes it stand out from every other fantasy that has been released. All this being said, “Baron, why don’t you think that I should read it?” Well thank you for asking, let me tell you why it’s not worth reading.
It’s Too Deep
Why do you want to read about a man’s quest for purpose when in reality he’s just a victim of causality. Why would you want to read about how life is never really in your hands, yet you’re the one expected to take responsibility of all the major decisions in your life. Life is drab enough already, so why in the world would you want to read about something like that. I turn to manga and other forms of fiction as a way to escape from the tumultuous dance we call reality. I don’t want to get bogged down by a depressed man who has lost more in his life than he’s gained. I see that every morning in the mirror when I brush my teeth. Just let me watch my TikToks and YouTube videos in peace, as the world around me degrades from climate change and an impeding third World War. No thoughts, just vibes please.
It’s Too Good
Imagine reading Berserk and then realizing that everything after is ruined. You will always be comparing the next manga to Berserk. You will wander aimlessly looking for another series that will make you feel the way Berserk made you feel. Definitely do not pick up Berserk if it’s your first manga because 1. it’s fucking intense and 2. it will literally ruin manga for you. You will find that yeah, One Piece is amazing but it’s not going to fill you with the same amount of existential dread. Yeah the battles in Kingdom are adrenaline fueled and make for great stories but you will never be as hype reading Guts fight Zodd for the first time. The two page spreads in Berserk are godly and you will never see two page spreads like that ever again. You will never see the use of black and white like you will in Berserk. And sure the shock of Nina from Fullmetal Alchemist is tough to get through – but you will never get to that level of disgust like with the Eclipse in Berserk. I mean, I literally had to put Berserk down for like a day because I was just so disgusted. This manga will spoil you and you will never find another feeling quite like it.
You Won’t Get The Ending You Want
Berserk is not a feel good story and it’s not a story where Miura will be able to finish. You will probably not get the ideal ending for this story. Even if Miura wrote the ending he intended to write, the chances are 50/50 on whether it’s the ending that you most wanted to see. The chances are good that it will be the appropriate ending for the story, but not the one where all your favourite characters come out on top and where Guts finds happiness. Good doesn’t defeat evil in Berserk. If anything it pays to be a bad guy. You might end up reading an unfinished product. But hey, it’s about the friends you made (and lost, because it’s Berserk) at the end of the day. Try telling our main character Guts that . . .
So don’t read Berserk. It’s just too good and too tragic. It’s like getting bumped into first class on a flight by sheer luck and then realizing that you will have to fly economy for the rest of your life, all while knowing how nice the extra leg room and premium meals are. Don’t ruin your life by reading the greatest dark fantasy that the world has to offer. Why would you want to see the sun and become enlightened when you’re going to spend your entire life having to live in a cave. Berserk is not for the faint of heart. But for those that it’s for, Berserk is one of the greatest works of literary fiction on the face of the planet. So don’t read Berserk or you’ll end up like Guts, you’ll be The Struggler.
