If you liked this video, it would help A LOT if you did things like hit like, comment, and/or share the video. The algorithm hasn’t been sharing my videos as much as it used to and viewer engagement helps me a ton. Thank you!
Thanks for yet another in depth look at one of the greatest works of our generation. I have to say I love your content, and you can count on me watching and liking videos like this. However I can't say the same of your let's draws. Though I must say that it does show that you gave been improving consistently in your art, and how art is really hard work.
@@Vivi2372 actually his assistants yelled at miura for drawing 1x1 pixel by pixel, he was that much of a perfectionist also his assistants usually just fo draw minute details in the background, thats why miura created a different series for his assistants to work on and basically catch up on his level
@@theworld9533 it was his editors that were dumbfounded by his meticulousness. To respond the the first dude his assistants only really did some of the backgrounds and unimportant details. Everything else is 100% Miura being a victim to his perfectionism.
My favorite anecdote about Miura's quest for artistic perfection, was when his Editors convinced him to switch to digital tools. Thinking that it would go faster... Miura's only reaction was like "wait...you mean to tell me..., that with this i can zoom in 125 times?...and do my illustrations pixels by pixels ?" Editor with profuse sweat dripping from his brown"...Huh...yes?..." Miura "Excellent!!" Where sometimes the editors had to yell at him to finish a panel cause it took too long to finish it... And when you see the last couple of chapters, you understand why...
Glad to see you again Chris, this was a great show, Miura gave it all and I don't want to romanticise the idea of the artist that works himself to death, but I also hate that people thought he was lazy for the slow progress/the prolonged hiatuses the production of Berserk had. Thank you for your input
I had never heard that bit about him learning a brand new artistic medium in the middle of the series, but that might be one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. That he relearned everything he knew about art to be able to bring things together in a new and more modern way, that is dedication.
He was never lazy but he procrastinated Berserk for a long time and quality droped a lot but boy the golden age arc was one of the best stuff I have ever read in my life. until the Conviction arc the quality was good.
Berserk is, behind the violence and fantasy/horror, just... so human. The small glimpses of utterly vulnerablitity ,anger and sadness from Guts... it just makes Berserk my absolute favourite literaly work. Not just comic but ANY printed medium
I think what makes Guts so unique as an anti-hero is that he is afforded a sense of vulnerability and hurt that we don't see many male heroes, who are often created to serve as a kind of power fantasy or wish fullfillment, being afforded to. Guts best moments are not those of him being angry, dark and brooding like with many other anti-heroes, but the moments he was healing and being able to form new bonds with others, being touched and learning as well as relearning to trust.
Anytime I felt just plain depressed and I look through images from the Berserk manga, it immediately slapped some inspiration in me. Miura was a true legend and frankly all of his work should be put in a museum.
The man not being able to finish his work due to health issues but still working to the bitter end just makes those themes in the story that more poignant. He'll be missed. Thanks for making this video, you did well showing what it is that makes Berserk so special.
My favorite manga and manga artist. I can't say how important he is to the medium. Though he didn't get to finsh his amazing work, I highly recommend reading for the amazing art and the narrative it weaves.
Berserk was broken people breaking people (and demons) The mood and character work in the storytelling really does wonders for Berserk overall. Those traits help it move past the hyper violence as the solitary focus of the story and instead the manga gets to use that violence with real emotional impact instead of just gore shock. It's a shame we'll never see the intended end, if there even was one planned, but I don't believe it's needed. Berserk always focused on how the journey changes and warps a character, so ultimately an ending isn't required to present the evolution of the characters in the work.
If you like Berserk, I highly recommend you check out Azumi by Yū Koyama. It's the only other manga that had the same impact on me as Berserk did when it comes to the writing. The art style is much more simple (especially in the early chapters) and stylized, but the writing is surprisingly similar at times. Especially how it introduces interesting and complicated characters who have their own philosophies. A lot of the characters, including many of the "bad guys", are ultimately people who just have different worldviews. Just like Guts in Berserk, Azumi also begins with the titular character as a child with a rather messed up childhood and we get to see her grow up and change as a person. Both comics can be stomach turningly bleak as well. Sadly, Azumi has never been officially released in English and it never got an anime adaptation (even Berserk got one good show!). They made two live-action films based on it and they suck and are nothing like the comics to the point of being a disgrace. Thankfully Berserk was never adapted into live-action, lol. Basically, there's two mangas I really enjoyed and now that Miura died, I'll never get to see how one of them ends. It's a bummer. The fact that he died so young is especially saddening. I hope he at least knew how much people loved and respected his work.
Thats what elevates works like Berserk way way above the average superhero comics. The setting might be fictional, but the struggle of the characters is realistic.
@@joek600 I was just saying the other day that few comic writers could do the same type of characterisation, Chris Claremont and Neil Gaiman come to mind immediately.
@Shin Shaman to each his own opinion, and if its not your thing more power to you; but I dont know how anyone can see just the artwork of berserk and not think its "that good". Theres literally only a handful of manga that even come close to the art work of berserk. As for the story itself, I honestly havent witnessed many characters grow and develop so organically as guts does. I dont know man, Ive heard a lot of people say its not that good but Ive never heard why.
Guts didnt stubbornyly use a full size sword, gambino would never get him a child sized sword as it was a waste of money to him and that started his struggle
@@colinswinbourn117 its noted in the manga that because of the way he trained and fought with larger swords, that he does not have the skill for using smaller lighter swords, and his ferocious way of way of fighting is hell on swords, and anything smaller would break. In fact his golden age sword when he was raid commander is not 1 sword, he went through many during that time. But yea he is definitely stubborn, there is actually no arguing with that, but the sword makes sense in context a bit more.
@@HectoeZ that was during the training, and he says no because he wants to get approval of his "father" who right after says he doesnt have childrens swords and wont get them. That sword was also all he had, and giving it up for a different one is the same as telling a child to get rid of their safety blanket for a new one.
@@HectoeZ He doesn't want to let go of the sword, think of it as a child with a comfort blanket or pillow; After being raped, you see him cuddle up with the sword. He's attached to it.
The story is still very satisfying, the high of casca getting her memories back and the gut punch of that including her trauma was really well done; and that journey felt more relevant than the revenge plot the more time we spent with those characters.
I've always loved how nearly every time Guts swings his sword we get a full page dedicated to it. It makes it so you can really feel the weight of the weapon and all the force behind it.
Berserk is a series that elevates itself over 90% of other popular mangas and truly achieves the stature of a work of literary genius. It has so many interesting things going on, not only in its structure and narrative, but in its insanely rich subtext. There are so many ways to interpret its key events, so many things left for the reader to speculate on and so many ways to appreciate it, that it really reaches heights similar to those reached by other masters of the craft such as Moore and Urasawa. Miura will certainly be missed, but his legacy and contribution to literature as a whole will live on forever. Keep on going, strugglers. Causality demands it.
Im looking forward to this episode on a godfather of manga, with stunning art, and a beautiful story of longing, loss, and pain, but also joy and living
I still can't believe he passed away. I love Berserk and the late 90s anime was the first anime I ever watched. It made me the anime fan I am today. thank you Kentaro
Thank you so much for making this video, really unexpected. Miura's passing was one of the saddest things from this year. I don't really care if the story doesn't have a proper ending but I had a personal connection with the story and the characters and as dark as it is, it helped me through my life's lowest points. Rest in peace, Miura.
After hearing about this manga and anime since the 90s, I finally got around to reading it and now your video pops up! lol. I'm torn between finishing the video or all 40 volumes of berserk first!
Its still hard for me to watch videos about Miura because of how influential his work was for me growing up and in my early adulthood. The core message that Miura created of the struggler who keeps on struggling no matter how bad it gets helped me through some of the hardest moments in my life. Not everyone has positive influences in their life to help them work through certain emotions but the journey of guts and company was a huge positive influence for me.
GOOD job on the video Chris,never heard nor seen artwork of Miura's but that's what these videos are all about huh???? INSTANT FAN here.Miura's artwork and characters are AWESOME!!! Gonna have to start buying his work now,thank you for bringing this GREAT talent to my attention.Pretty much tired of DC and Marvel comics,want to experience something different.Haven't been to a comicshop since 2007.
Berserk is the greatest story ever told. In my opinion that is. Full sets of Volumes are hard to find in the wild, since they are always sold out. Might be best to order online. But there are always Manga reading websites to get you going. As well as a couple Berserk anime detailing the golden age (the 1998 anime is the best, the 2016/2017 anime are the worst) But the Manga is still a must read from start to finish, even after watching the anime first.
Wow, this sounds like an intense book! It'd be interesting to delve into, but I'm not sure I'm up for that challenge. But with an epic like this, even if we did get a novelization from his notes, it is sad that we will never truly get to see his end vision for this tale. A tragedy about a tragic character.
Thank you Chris. I'm not much of a manga/comic guy, but Berserk has always stood out to me as being a truly beautiful intimate work. Miura put a lot of the human condition and soul into those pages, and while it's not perfect, it is the perfect work for those of us that struggle. Gut's perseverance through sheer willpower is always an inspiration to find the humanity within me to carry on. Your vid meant a lot, thank you :)
Berserk will always be one of my favorite manga for its beautiful artwork and amazing characters. I’m sad Miura won’t be able to finish his story but I’m grateful to him for making Berserk, it really is something special and worth experiencing.
I really enjoyed this video and hope you can cover Berserk again in the future. I don't want to nitpick too much since you had a lot of story to cover in not a lot of time, however it seemed odd the way you used the the art and story beats since you rearranged them some. Also while i agree the parts with Wyald were a bit much, the other scene with Casca being with Guts, he was just as naked for as long and the scene is meant more to be intimate with them both as they are both completely exposed with each other. Other parts may play to fanservice but for that part it feels like it is there to for character moments and story without being there for fanservice as that is the one time in Berserk Casca and Guts are both entirely open and happy with another person. More light heartedly surprised you didn't mention star wars as an inspiration since there are a handful of blatant references the biggest being naming an entire story arc Falcon of the Millennium Empire. Anyway thank you for showing Berserk and Kentaro Miura some love.
Fantastic video, just what i wanted a brief introduction and dive into the world of berserk, as i really wanted to get into it!! Miura sensei will always be alive in the hearts of the fans!!
Berserk has always been one of my all time favorite series. During that time there were more stories in that vein. I kind of miss that now as most everything these days is isekai or superheroes in manga. But weird violent fantasy from around that time, to give examples... "Parasyte" (which recently actually got a anime, I highly recommend it), of course "Battle Angel Alita" (aka, it's Japanese name: "Gunnm").. it was made into a live action but since it lacked a rated R title, it got a lot of reworks. If only it got the "deadpool" treatment I think it would have been more faithful. After all, Battle Angel's violence often had a comedic, "devil may care" attitude, not that unlike deadpool. Also, she's more of a anti-hero in the manga...and they turned her into a actual pure true blue hero in the live action so take that as a plus or minus but it's different I guess (I'm a purist). The Battle Angel manga is fantastic though. It's gorey, scary, violent and of course thought provoking as the character tries to find a purpose in life after losing her memory. While many of you have seen "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell", I think you'd find their manga's to be pretty different. Especially GITS, where it's a sometimes comedic romp through the bizarre and cold world of the future. Err sorry for block of text... I'm preaching to the choir I know but maybe one person might read something that they hadn't known about. I feel so sad we lost Kentaro Miura. Finding out how Berserk ends has kind of been something I've been wondering since childhood.
its a shame he take so many time on hiatus. but really, his making was the peak of manga. a real shame he's gone and a bigger shame Berserk couldn't get a fully accurate anime adaptation yet.
The 90's anime was pretty damn close. It's a shame it never continued past the golden age arc though. I'm just glad it could exist for Susumu Hirasawa's beautiful music that will forever play in my head when I read Berserk. (He also did the music for Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress and Paprika, all of which I highly recommend)
@@joaojahnke9684 check out studio taka motion comic, they animate and dub the first chapter with excelence, it's very nicely done and the voice acting is good.
@@CuppaKofe totally agreed, i guess it was time constraints, becuz this one really nails. best adaptation CGI does'nt belong at all to Berserk. i was disappointed it cut many important parts( donovan, the queen and julius, silat ) otherwise its REALLY good. one of the best anime i've seen.
Berserk is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of fantasy media ever created, and probably one of the darkest. An absolutely beautiful and oppressive experience.
Honestly I’m still sad when I think of him passing. I got into berserk about 6 years ago and it quickly became an obsession. Really cannot say enough about this story. I’m so glad you made this video man
Berserk is close to my hear its inspired my art so much. I remember when I was around 13, just starting to draw seriously I told my self that I didn't want my art to be realistic at all. And now I'm left with my artstyle as realistic as I can do it
Berserk was that one manga about struggles and perseverance that got me thru some tough depression. Guts' journey is an inspiring one, despite all the agony guts kept going
Again i’ve said it before writing wise I don’t think anyone will be able to complete the Manga’s story like Miura could If anyone has read any spin offs of the series it honestly doesn’t hit the Mark matching the stories writing style at all but It’s amazing to think we have years of content to enjoy regardless
Having read the drizzling shits that was 'The Flame Dragon Knight', I don't know if I'd want to see someone else try to continue the story without Miura either. I think I'd rather just see what Miura might written down or sketched out as plans for future chapters more than anything.
@@CuppaKofe dude I agree “The flame dragon knight”. is more like a parody of Berserk that takes itself way too seriously for the horribly written story that it is
I live in fear that Berserk's ending will now simply be "Guts gets revenge on Griffith". Such a multifaceted story and such a deep relationship between protagonist and antagonist should see an ending that reflects as such. The defeat of Griffith should be an ideological one. Not a physical one. Perhaps Griffith finally chooses to respect Guts' individuality; Guts defeating the very concept of fate in of the (probably now not existent) idea of evil. Heck, the idea that Skull Knight's reasons for helping Guts might be very malicious and selfish is also a great route. Imagine Guts beats Griffith, only to now have to contend with another arbiter of fate.
I heard muria left notes, but only time will tell if it remains to be seen. I was pretty bummed out at first when i found out in may he passed. But the more ive been thinking about it, Im actually pretty content on where the story has ended up. If there was to never be another chapter published from here on out, then It would be bittersweet. Since in the last chapter, everyone is left in a comfortable place. Well besides Rickert, I really wanna know what him and the Kushans are getting up to...... Spin off??? Lol
@@CuppaKofe - Damn right, "the Flame Dragon Knight" hurt my soul so deeply, I would become mad if someone like that hack fraud Makoto Fukami (or another sycophant like him) wrote the end of *Berserk* ... It's not a situation like with JJR Tolkien, who left boxes and boxes of notes that his son Christopher (who himself passed away last year in France, where he had spent half of his long life...) could edit into the *Unfinished Tales* and *The Silmarillion* ... We're pretty much in limbo right now, when it comes to what comes next... Hakusensha hasn't released any news, neither did Mr Miura assistants. Some fans misunderstood the tweets of one of Mr Miura's assistants, and thought that he meant that they were going to continue the manga, which has of course been debunked since then. But Hakusensha will release volume 41, even if there aren't enough individual episodes to make a "full" tome, so the rest of the manga will have to be filled with other stuff. Maybe some original artworks? Some never-released-before content to fill the pages? From what we know so far, it is not _impossible_ that we're going to get at least one posthumous episode, which would be episode #364 ... the art might not be completely finished, but... Well, once again, we'll have to wait for some official news. All I know is that my Berserk collection, up to volume 40 now (and what a fantastic volume that was!), will feel very incomplete without the new episodes released in an official volume... I need my collection complete or my OCD won't ever give it a rest >
Miura passed away? Oh man, it's kind of a bittersweet ending to Berserk. A part of me always wanted a happy ending for Guts after decades of pain and struggle.
Thank you so much for making this wonderful video! My favourite Miura piece of trivia was that people hoped that him moving to digital would speed things up, but he ended up correcting individual pixels.
It's said that Miura didn't use assistants till much into Berserks publishing due to him being ocd with his attention to detail. Considering that it's insane that he would do all this by himself on a weekly release basis.
My favourite comic/manga by far and one of the pieces of art/literature overall dearest to me. Glad you cover it and expose an audience that might have not been familiar with it to this masterful work.
A person once said "Anything you negative you can think of happend to Guts in Berserk yet he still persists." That has always stuck with me, thank you Miura for all your hard work, truly changed lives.
The creator artist handing most of the drawing to assistants and acting as director was common place during the heyday of newspaper strips. sometimes the artist creator would just handle the big Sunday color page and left the dailies completely to the assistants. Young artist can not imagine being in their later years and not wanting to draw 10 hours a day. Many times fans won't even allow the artist to do something new and fresh for the sake of the artist. I remember Jack Kirby fans in the '70s and '80s complaining that his DC and independent work wasn't as good as his Marvel run. I gotta wonder if Kentaro sold millions did he make millions? sweet.
complete opposite of miura! he’d actually do almost everything and his details would fill in some small background details or the occasional low detail background soldiers, not surprising since berserk was his baby LOL
It's wild to think that 10 years ago, in high school, I'd joke about living in the alternate reality in which Miura died before Berserk finished. 10 chapters later and it actually happened. Welcome to Earth 2. Not OG Earth 2 but the one that got Convergenced. What a shame and a great loss.
After watching this I read Berserk. Absolutely the greatest story I have ever read. Even though Muira passed away I believe his protégés should continue the story. Only if he’s express wishes were that the story ends with him should it end. It’s so long running and impactful that it deserves a full ending. With that long a run it deserves an full ending from people that worked on the story even if it won’t be the creator’s ending. I can see it ending at a 500 “chapter” as it 364 now. It shouldn’t become a continuous series though or get drawn out.
Excellent Video! Kentaro Miuras work will always be the herald as a master of horror and beauty. His detailed artwork, storytelling and action scenes push the levels of his work to new heights that only got better! May he rest knowing he has fans All over the world! To you, our beloved King! 👑
Fantastic video and thanks for doing it. I think he left enough notes for some kind of closure and I have faith his assistants will do a great job especially because they know how important it is to do so.
Chances are someone said this, but there was also a suggestion that he was training his team to finish Berserk as well though a secondary Manga in case anything happened to him. Like you said the notes and things could be there, the team just has to pick up the touch if it was true about them being trained.
Your descriptions of the story and characters were grossly oversimplified, but even if this video was hours long, it wouldn't be enough to explain the perfection that is Berserk
I gotta say, with your vids I always pause and go back like fifty times. Not a diss. Just really like your content and shots of comics I have never seen. Kudos sir love it. Btw a sweet end to Berzerk.
I just received volume 9 of the ongoing Deluxe hardcover reprint's of Berserk,it just gets better and more detailed. I have not read Guin Saga but I do own the official DVD anime release from the mid 2000s,its fantastic. Great video Chris!
Love all the work you put into these videos. I came to the channel to learn about the creators of some of my favorite books and characters, and I ended up finding one of my favorite creators on the platform, thank you for everything Chris.
Nice to have you making a video about Berserk. Two things: - Miura passed away on 6th May 2021 (not June) - Often we forgot that the two main characters of Devilman quite inspired Miura for the duo Guts / Griffith
Beserk is one of those comics I can't see myself re-reading, but still love all the same. The visuals, both grandiose and grotesque, the bold storytelling, and the way that it was just a beautiful sweeping epic. I'm very sad that we won't get the conclusion that we were all kind of hoping for, but (and I know that I'm on the minority on this) I'm still holding out hope that we get to see this genre bending masterpiece on the big screen. In the meantime, I'll continue to rewatch the 90s series. Well, up to the episode where they rescue Griffith. I tend to stop there because it leave the story on a hopeful note. Lol, hope in Beserk.
I for one am quite satisfied with what we experienced. I think that knowing how he wanted to end things on a good note, it's fairly easy to imagine what would have happened next. If his assistants decide to continue I will keep on reading and don't have a problem since I believe Miura knew of his own state plus he actively sought to give them more training/independence. Regardless, trully a great story
For all the talk about Berserk's future and Miura's passing, I hope it spurs more conversations on health and the manga/anime industry. People shouldn't work themselves to death and the industry needs some serious change. I think it was One Piece's Oda that has mentioned the lengths he goes to to insure a healthy life setting aside time for family, leisure, and exercise.
I didn't even consider a novelization. I mean the Miura's art was such a huge part of the experience, but at least that would provide some closure. And another artist may come along with amazing visuals.
If you liked this video, it would help A LOT if you did things like hit like, comment, and/or share the video. The algorithm hasn’t been sharing my videos as much as it used to and viewer engagement helps me a ton. Thank you!
Thanks for yet another in depth look at one of the greatest works of our generation. I have to say I love your content, and you can count on me watching and liking videos like this. However I can't say the same of your let's draws. Though I must say that it does show that you gave been improving consistently in your art, and how art is really hard work.
Thank you for this loving look at one of the saddest mangas of all time as well as your condolences to its legendary artist/writer
Great video, I loved to see you analyze manga
Loved this video! As always you've done a fantastic job! Also Guin Saga can be pronounced as " Gween".
Still hoping you talk about JoJo's Bizzare Adventure at some point.
The Manga series is awesome and deserves to be talked about more.
Miura passing away is one of the greatest tragedies in the medium of comics. But I'm still forever thankful to have experienced Berserk.
*manga. Comics are dead now
My exact feelings too brother. Rip Miura the legend
@Shin Shaman yup.
@@tengoodquestions Mangas are comics.
@Sawyer Cantrell yeah, I know what he meant. I just think that Kentaro Miuras works have been influential even outside the Japanese scene.
Berserk is extremely horrifying and traumatizing, yet no fantasy story has ever touched my heart more.
Miuras crosshatching and detail would drive most artists insane
mostly done by assistants for sure.
@@vitorr.8755 he didn't have assistants for the majority of his career and to my knowledge he still did most everything himself up till his death.
@@joeclarke7982 yeah I doubt anyone who was that much of a perfectionist wouldn't have been doing most of it even with assistants.
@@Vivi2372 actually his assistants yelled at miura for drawing 1x1 pixel by pixel, he was that much of a perfectionist also his assistants usually just fo draw minute details in the background, thats why miura created a different series for his assistants to work on and basically catch up on his level
@@theworld9533 it was his editors that were dumbfounded by his meticulousness.
To respond the the first dude his assistants only really did some of the backgrounds and unimportant details. Everything else is 100% Miura being a victim to his perfectionism.
My favorite anecdote about Miura's quest for artistic perfection, was when his Editors convinced him to switch to digital tools.
Thinking that it would go faster...
Miura's only reaction was like "wait...you mean to tell me..., that with this i can zoom in 125 times?...and do my illustrations pixels by pixels ?"
Editor with profuse sweat dripping from his brown"...Huh...yes?..."
Miura "Excellent!!"
Where sometimes the editors had to yell at him to finish a panel cause it took too long to finish it...
And when you see the last couple of chapters, you understand why...
Glad to see you again Chris, this was a great show, Miura gave it all and I don't want to romanticise the idea of the artist that works himself to death, but I also hate that people thought he was lazy for the slow progress/the prolonged hiatuses the production of Berserk had. Thank you for your input
I had never heard that bit about him learning a brand new artistic medium in the middle of the series, but that might be one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. That he relearned everything he knew about art to be able to bring things together in a new and more modern way, that is dedication.
@@LupineShadowOmega well drawing in ink took so much effort, and he was getting a little old for that
He was never lazy but he procrastinated Berserk for a long time and quality droped a lot but boy the golden age arc was one of the best stuff I have ever read in my life.
until the Conviction arc the quality was good.
Berserk is, behind the violence and fantasy/horror, just... so human. The small glimpses of utterly vulnerablitity ,anger and sadness from Guts... it just makes Berserk my absolute favourite literaly work. Not just comic but ANY printed medium
I think what makes Guts so unique as an anti-hero is that he is afforded a sense of vulnerability and hurt that we don't see many male heroes, who are often created to serve as a kind of power fantasy or wish fullfillment, being afforded to. Guts best moments are not those of him being angry, dark and brooding like with many other anti-heroes, but the moments he was healing and being able to form new bonds with others, being touched and learning as well as relearning to trust.
His artistry and genius were too much for this boring world. RIP Kentaro Miura. See you down the road.
Anytime I felt just plain depressed and I look through images from the Berserk manga, it immediately slapped some inspiration in me. Miura was a true legend and frankly all of his work should be put in a museum.
The man not being able to finish his work due to health issues but still working to the bitter end just makes those themes in the story that more poignant. He'll be missed.
Thanks for making this video, you did well showing what it is that makes Berserk so special.
My favorite manga and manga artist. I can't say how important he is to the medium. Though he didn't get to finsh his amazing work, I highly recommend reading for the amazing art and the narrative it weaves.
Berserk was broken people breaking people (and demons) The mood and character work in the storytelling really does wonders for Berserk overall. Those traits help it move past the hyper violence as the solitary focus of the story and instead the manga gets to use that violence with real emotional impact instead of just gore shock.
It's a shame we'll never see the intended end, if there even was one planned, but I don't believe it's needed. Berserk always focused on how the journey changes and warps a character, so ultimately an ending isn't required to present the evolution of the characters in the work.
If you like Berserk, I highly recommend you check out Azumi by Yū Koyama. It's the only other manga that had the same impact on me as Berserk did when it comes to the writing. The art style is much more simple (especially in the early chapters) and stylized, but the writing is surprisingly similar at times. Especially how it introduces interesting and complicated characters who have their own philosophies. A lot of the characters, including many of the "bad guys", are ultimately people who just have different worldviews. Just like Guts in Berserk, Azumi also begins with the titular character as a child with a rather messed up childhood and we get to see her grow up and change as a person.
Both comics can be stomach turningly bleak as well.
Sadly, Azumi has never been officially released in English and it never got an anime adaptation (even Berserk got one good show!). They made two live-action films based on it and they suck and are nothing like the comics to the point of being a disgrace. Thankfully Berserk was never adapted into live-action, lol.
Basically, there's two mangas I really enjoyed and now that Miura died, I'll never get to see how one of them ends. It's a bummer. The fact that he died so young is especially saddening. I hope he at least knew how much people loved and respected his work.
Thats what elevates works like Berserk way way above the average superhero comics. The setting might be fictional, but the struggle of the characters is realistic.
@@joek600 I was just saying the other day that few comic writers could do the same type of characterisation, Chris Claremont and Neil Gaiman come to mind immediately.
@Shin Shaman Well. Let's agree to disagree, I guess. In my opinion the Azumi films were genuine trash.
@Shin Shaman to each his own opinion, and if its not your thing more power to you; but I dont know how anyone can see just the artwork of berserk and not think its "that good". Theres literally only a handful of manga that even come close to the art work of berserk.
As for the story itself, I honestly havent witnessed many characters grow and develop so organically as guts does.
I dont know man, Ive heard a lot of people say its not that good but Ive never heard why.
Guts didnt stubbornyly use a full size sword, gambino would never get him a child sized sword as it was a waste of money to him and that started his struggle
One could argue that guts is stubborn because he would have to get the bigger longer sword made up when he got bigger
@@colinswinbourn117 its noted in the manga that because of the way he trained and fought with larger swords, that he does not have the skill for using smaller lighter swords, and his ferocious way of way of fighting is hell on swords, and anything smaller would break. In fact his golden age sword when he was raid commander is not 1 sword, he went through many during that time.
But yea he is definitely stubborn, there is actually no arguing with that, but the sword makes sense in context a bit more.
didn't he yell "no" when one of the mercs suggested he use a smaller sword? i remember he called him a "pig-headed little guy" right after
@@HectoeZ that was during the training, and he says no because he wants to get approval of his "father" who right after says he doesnt have childrens swords and wont get them. That sword was also all he had, and giving it up for a different one is the same as telling a child to get rid of their safety blanket for a new one.
@@HectoeZ He doesn't want to let go of the sword, think of it as a child with a comfort blanket or pillow; After being raped, you see him cuddle up with the sword. He's attached to it.
The story is still very satisfying, the high of casca getting her memories back and the gut punch of that including her trauma was really well done; and that journey felt more relevant than the revenge plot the more time we spent with those characters.
I've always loved how nearly every time Guts swings his sword we get a full page dedicated to it. It makes it so you can really feel the weight of the weapon and all the force behind it.
I love you and your work, Chris - thanks for this. I still can't believe he's gone. It hurts my heart.
I have been stuck on a boat waiting for this
Berserk is a series that elevates itself over 90% of other popular mangas and truly achieves the stature of a work of literary genius. It has so many interesting things going on, not only in its structure and narrative, but in its insanely rich subtext. There are so many ways to interpret its key events, so many things left for the reader to speculate on and so many ways to appreciate it, that it really reaches heights similar to those reached by other masters of the craft such as Moore and Urasawa.
Miura will certainly be missed, but his legacy and contribution to literature as a whole will live on forever.
Keep on going, strugglers. Causality demands it.
Im looking forward to this episode on a godfather of manga, with stunning art, and a beautiful story of longing, loss, and pain, but also joy and living
I still can't believe he passed away. I love Berserk and the late 90s anime was the first anime I ever watched. It made me the anime fan I am today. thank you Kentaro
part of my childhood all the way to adulthood was shattered the day kentaro miura died. r.i.p. legend.
If you want to buy physical, get the Deluxe versions. The regular volumes from Dark Horse are good quality, but very small.
Who publishes the deluxe versions? Thanks
@@stephenbarone4053 Dark Horse publishes both. I guess my comment didn't make that clear.
Thank you so much for making this video, really unexpected. Miura's passing was one of the saddest things from this year. I don't really care if the story doesn't have a proper ending but I had a personal connection with the story and the characters and as dark as it is, it helped me through my life's lowest points.
Rest in peace, Miura.
After hearing about this manga and anime since the 90s, I finally got around to reading it and now your video pops up! lol. I'm torn between finishing the video or all 40 volumes of berserk first!
I only discuss plot elements on a high level through volume 14 and show some images later on to analyze art.
Its still hard for me to watch videos about Miura because of how influential his work was for me growing up and in my early adulthood.
The core message that Miura created of the struggler who keeps on struggling no matter how bad it gets helped me through some of the hardest moments in my life. Not everyone has positive influences in their life to help them work through certain emotions but the journey of guts and company was a huge positive influence for me.
I literally just finished reading/catching up on Berserk a couple days ago so this is just what I needed right now.
This is one of your finest videos ever made. Thank you, it’s greatly appreciated
GOOD job on the video Chris,never heard nor seen artwork of Miura's but that's what these videos are all about huh???? INSTANT FAN here.Miura's artwork and characters are AWESOME!!! Gonna have to start buying his work now,thank you for bringing this GREAT talent to my attention.Pretty much tired of DC and Marvel comics,want to experience something different.Haven't been to a comicshop since 2007.
Berserk is the greatest story ever told. In my opinion that is. Full sets of Volumes are hard to find in the wild, since they are always sold out. Might be best to order online.
But there are always Manga reading websites to get you going. As well as a couple Berserk anime detailing the golden age (the 1998 anime is the best, the 2016/2017 anime are the worst)
But the Manga is still a must read from start to finish, even after watching the anime first.
@@brianpj5860 Thanks Bran PJ and as it said in tha GI Joe cartoon-YOU'RE A REAL AMERICAN HEROE!!!! LOL!!!
@@brianpj5860 It would be the greatest story ever told if only the quality did not drop so much.
Wow, this sounds like an intense book! It'd be interesting to delve into, but I'm not sure I'm up for that challenge. But with an epic like this, even if we did get a novelization from his notes, it is sad that we will never truly get to see his end vision for this tale. A tragedy about a tragic character.
Thank you Chris. I'm not much of a manga/comic guy, but Berserk has always stood out to me as being a truly beautiful intimate work. Miura put a lot of the human condition and soul into those pages, and while it's not perfect, it is the perfect work for those of us that struggle. Gut's perseverance through sheer willpower is always an inspiration to find the humanity within me to carry on. Your vid meant a lot, thank you :)
Berserk will always be one of my favorite manga for its beautiful artwork and amazing characters. I’m sad Miura won’t be able to finish his story but I’m grateful to him for making Berserk, it really is something special and worth experiencing.
I really enjoyed this video and hope you can cover Berserk again in the future. I don't want to nitpick too much since you had a lot of story to cover in not a lot of time, however it seemed odd the way you used the the art and story beats since you rearranged them some. Also while i agree the parts with Wyald were a bit much, the other scene with Casca being with Guts, he was just as naked for as long and the scene is meant more to be intimate with them both as they are both completely exposed with each other. Other parts may play to fanservice but for that part it feels like it is there to for character moments and story without being there for fanservice as that is the one time in Berserk Casca and Guts are both entirely open and happy with another person. More light heartedly surprised you didn't mention star wars as an inspiration since there are a handful of blatant references the biggest being naming an entire story arc Falcon of the Millennium Empire. Anyway thank you for showing Berserk and Kentaro Miura some love.
Been waiting for this
Fantastic video, just what i wanted a brief introduction and dive into the world of berserk, as i really wanted to get into it!! Miura sensei will always be alive in the hearts of the fans!!
Berserk has always been one of my all time favorite series. During that time there were more stories in that vein. I kind of miss that now as most everything these days is isekai or superheroes in manga. But weird violent fantasy from around that time, to give examples... "Parasyte" (which recently actually got a anime, I highly recommend it), of course "Battle Angel Alita" (aka, it's Japanese name: "Gunnm").. it was made into a live action but since it lacked a rated R title, it got a lot of reworks. If only it got the "deadpool" treatment I think it would have been more faithful. After all, Battle Angel's violence often had a comedic, "devil may care" attitude, not that unlike deadpool. Also, she's more of a anti-hero in the manga...and they turned her into a actual pure true blue hero in the live action so take that as a plus or minus but it's different I guess (I'm a purist). The Battle Angel manga is fantastic though. It's gorey, scary, violent and of course thought provoking as the character tries to find a purpose in life after losing her memory. While many of you have seen "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell", I think you'd find their manga's to be pretty different. Especially GITS, where it's a sometimes comedic romp through the bizarre and cold world of the future. Err sorry for block of text... I'm preaching to the choir I know but maybe one person might read something that they hadn't known about. I feel so sad we lost Kentaro Miura. Finding out how Berserk ends has kind of been something I've been wondering since childhood.
its a shame he take so many time on hiatus. but really, his making was the peak of manga. a real shame he's gone and a bigger shame Berserk couldn't get a fully accurate anime adaptation yet.
Honestly, Berserk cant be animated IF a studio wants to capture the detail of it, and most studios do try with most comics
The 90's anime was pretty damn close. It's a shame it never continued past the golden age arc though. I'm just glad it could exist for Susumu Hirasawa's beautiful music that will forever play in my head when I read Berserk. (He also did the music for Paranoia Agent, Millennium Actress and Paprika, all of which I highly recommend)
@@joaojahnke9684 check out studio taka motion comic, they animate and dub the first chapter with excelence, it's very nicely done and the voice acting is good.
@@CuppaKofe totally agreed, i guess it was time constraints, becuz this one really nails. best adaptation CGI does'nt belong at all to Berserk. i was disappointed it cut many important parts( donovan, the queen and julius, silat ) otherwise its REALLY good. one of the best anime i've seen.
@@CuppaKofe yeah man. forces, guts theme. i like ash crow and hai yo a lot, the newer series were lame, but the story and ost scored
Berserk is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of fantasy media ever created, and probably one of the darkest. An absolutely beautiful and oppressive experience.
Honestly I’m still sad when I think of him passing. I got into berserk about 6 years ago and it quickly became an obsession. Really cannot say enough about this story. I’m so glad you made this video man
Berserk is close to my hear its inspired my art so much. I remember when I was around 13, just starting to draw seriously I told my self that I didn't want my art to be realistic at all. And now I'm left with my artstyle as realistic as I can do it
Berserk was that one manga about struggles and perseverance that got me thru some tough depression. Guts' journey is an inspiring one, despite all the agony guts kept going
Again i’ve said it before writing wise I don’t think anyone will be able to complete the Manga’s story like Miura could If anyone has read any spin offs of the series it honestly doesn’t hit the Mark matching the stories writing style at all
but It’s amazing to think we have years of content to enjoy regardless
Having read the drizzling shits that was 'The Flame Dragon Knight', I don't know if I'd want to see someone else try to continue the story without Miura either. I think I'd rather just see what Miura might written down or sketched out as plans for future chapters more than anything.
@@CuppaKofe dude I agree “The flame dragon knight”. is more like a parody of Berserk that takes itself way too seriously for the horribly written story that it is
I live in fear that Berserk's ending will now simply be "Guts gets revenge on Griffith". Such a multifaceted story and such a deep relationship between protagonist and antagonist should see an ending that reflects as such. The defeat of Griffith should be an ideological one. Not a physical one. Perhaps Griffith finally chooses to respect Guts' individuality; Guts defeating the very concept of fate in of the (probably now not existent) idea of evil.
Heck, the idea that Skull Knight's reasons for helping Guts might be very malicious and selfish is also a great route. Imagine Guts beats Griffith, only to now have to contend with another arbiter of fate.
I heard muria left notes, but only time will tell if it remains to be seen. I was pretty bummed out at first when i found out in may he passed. But the more ive been thinking about it, Im actually pretty content on where the story has ended up.
If there was to never be another chapter published from here on out, then It would be bittersweet. Since in the last chapter, everyone is left in a comfortable place.
Well besides Rickert, I really wanna know what him and the Kushans are getting up to...... Spin off??? Lol
@@CuppaKofe - Damn right, "the Flame Dragon Knight" hurt my soul so deeply, I would become mad if someone like that hack fraud Makoto Fukami (or another sycophant like him) wrote the end of *Berserk* ...
It's not a situation like with JJR Tolkien, who left boxes and boxes of notes that his son Christopher
(who himself passed away last year in France, where he had spent half of his long life...) could edit into the *Unfinished Tales* and *The Silmarillion* ...
We're pretty much in limbo right now, when it comes to what comes next... Hakusensha hasn't released any news, neither did Mr Miura assistants.
Some fans misunderstood the tweets of one of Mr Miura's assistants, and thought that he meant that they were going to continue the manga, which has of course been debunked since then.
But Hakusensha will release volume 41, even if there aren't enough individual episodes to make a "full" tome, so the rest of the manga will have to be filled with other stuff.
Maybe some original artworks? Some never-released-before content to fill the pages?
From what we know so far, it is not _impossible_ that we're going to get at least one posthumous episode, which would be episode #364 ... the art might not be completely finished, but...
Well, once again, we'll have to wait for some official news.
All I know is that my Berserk collection, up to volume 40 now (and what a fantastic volume that was!), will feel very incomplete without the new episodes released in an official volume...
I need my collection complete or my OCD won't ever give it a rest >
I am happy of the "speaking of" Intro again 😍
I fucking love this manga. I’ve read it over 10 times and this video is about to make me re-read it.
Miura passed away? Oh man, it's kind of a bittersweet ending to Berserk. A part of me always wanted a happy ending for Guts after decades of pain and struggle.
Thank you so much for making this wonderful video! My favourite Miura piece of trivia was that people hoped that him moving to digital would speed things up, but he ended up correcting individual pixels.
Rest In Peace Kentaro Miura. May your legacy live on and thank you for the EPIC and masterpiece that is Berserk.
This is a great tribute to the importance of Berserk and Miura's work with it. Thanks for your effort!
It's said that Miura didn't use assistants till much into Berserks publishing due to him being ocd with his attention to detail. Considering that it's insane that he would do all this by himself on a weekly release basis.
I've been meaning to read the manga and this makes me want to even more.
Love your videos, no others like them on UA-cam.
My favourite comic/manga by far and one of the pieces of art/literature overall dearest to me.
Glad you cover it and expose an audience that might have not been familiar with it to this masterful work.
A person once said "Anything you negative you can think of happend to Guts in Berserk yet he still persists." That has always stuck with me, thank you Miura for all your hard work, truly changed lives.
The creator artist handing most of the drawing to assistants and acting as director was common place during the heyday of newspaper strips. sometimes the artist creator would just handle the big Sunday color page and left the dailies completely to the assistants. Young artist can not imagine being in their later years and not wanting to draw 10 hours a day. Many times fans won't even allow the artist to do something new and fresh for the sake of the artist. I remember Jack Kirby fans in the '70s and '80s complaining that his DC and independent work wasn't as good as his Marvel run. I gotta wonder if Kentaro sold millions did he make millions? sweet.
His net worth was estimated at $1.1 million. Not enough, IMO.
complete opposite of miura! he’d actually do almost everything and his details would fill in some small background details or the occasional low detail background soldiers, not surprising since berserk was his baby LOL
The committment in this man to grow a mustache just to show how SERIOUS he is 👏!!
What a beautiful summary. Thank you for covering my favorite story ever!
It's wild to think that 10 years ago, in high school, I'd joke about living in the alternate reality in which Miura died before Berserk finished. 10 chapters later and it actually happened. Welcome to Earth 2. Not OG Earth 2 but the one that got Convergenced. What a shame and a great loss.
This series made me feel for a character for the first time. It legit made me cry at some point.
After watching this I read Berserk. Absolutely the greatest story I have ever read. Even though Muira passed away I believe his protégés should continue the story. Only if he’s express wishes were that the story ends with him should it end. It’s so long running and impactful that it deserves a full ending. With that long a run it deserves an full ending from people that worked on the story even if it won’t be the creator’s ending. I can see it ending at a 500 “chapter” as it 364 now. It shouldn’t become a continuous series though or get drawn out.
Excellent Video! Kentaro Miuras work will always be the herald as a master of horror and beauty. His detailed artwork, storytelling and action scenes push the levels of his work to new heights that only got better! May he rest knowing he has fans All over the world! To you, our beloved King! 👑
I've only been reading berserk for the last 20 years. His work will be missed. Damn you Griffith!
Been waiting for this episode every since you announced it!
Yay Berserk :D, also is it me or Chris is looking more and more handsome every video?
Fantastic video and thanks for doing it. I think he left enough notes for some kind of closure and I have faith his assistants will do a great job especially because they know how important it is to do so.
That manga has some spectacular looking artwork.
Chances are someone said this, but there was also a suggestion that he was training his team to finish Berserk as well though a secondary Manga in case anything happened to him. Like you said the notes and things could be there, the team just has to pick up the touch if it was true about them being trained.
Great stuff Chris. Kentaro was truly incredible.
One of my favorite intros thus far.
guts is the most 3 dimensional character I've ever seen
Berserk will always one of the best written manga.
@Shin Shaman so, what is according to you
Your descriptions of the story and characters were grossly oversimplified, but even if this video was hours long, it wouldn't be enough to explain the perfection that is Berserk
to be fair, its for people to get interested in the story and not get spoiled with details
Man thanks for this video. I still get emotional thinking about berserk.
Oh boy, I didn't knew how much I wanted this video.. gonna enjoy a lot.
I gotta say, with your vids I always pause and go back like fifty times. Not a diss. Just really like your content and shots of comics I have never seen. Kudos sir love it.
Btw a sweet end to Berzerk.
Thanks, Comic Tropes! Sincerely me.
I've waited for this episode for quite a while. I hope you cover other arcs in the future.
I just received volume 9 of the ongoing Deluxe hardcover reprint's of Berserk,it just gets better and more detailed. I have not read Guin Saga but I do own the official DVD anime release from the mid 2000s,its fantastic. Great video Chris!
I can always feel the amount of effort and research that goes into these. Thanks for always providing a solid vid just when I need em
I had never heard of him. I've vaguely heard of the book but it's good to now know about him and his work! Thanks
Guts Theme when I learned of Miura's passing. RIP
Same here. My heart always sinks when I hear it too.
Love all the work you put into these videos. I came to the channel to learn about the creators of some of my favorite books and characters, and I ended up finding one of my favorite creators on the platform, thank you for everything Chris.
Nice to have you making a video about Berserk.
Two things:
- Miura passed away on 6th May 2021 (not June)
- Often we forgot that the two main characters of Devilman quite inspired Miura for the duo Guts / Griffith
Another great vid!
I'm sold, gonna go buy the first deluxe volume
That sponsor segment was brilliant way to troll the man. Keep on keeping on brother, love your channel.
Been waiting for this episode ever since he passed.
He died doing what he loved.
I hope you make more videos on Berserk it's such a great series I think it deserves more videos on it
Beserk is one of those comics I can't see myself re-reading, but still love all the same. The visuals, both grandiose and grotesque, the bold storytelling, and the way that it was just a beautiful sweeping epic. I'm very sad that we won't get the conclusion that we were all kind of hoping for, but (and I know that I'm on the minority on this) I'm still holding out hope that we get to see this genre bending masterpiece on the big screen. In the meantime, I'll continue to rewatch the 90s series. Well, up to the episode where they rescue Griffith. I tend to stop there because it leave the story on a hopeful note. Lol, hope in Beserk.
guts and griffiths duality is like jojo vs dio on crack
Thank you Chris for the kind words. Rip kentaro miura.
10:13 RIP Bazuso
thanks a lot for this video. Videos talking about Berserk are always worth coming back to.
glad to see you looking better, man. really scared me with the covid, hope youre feeling 100%
Looking forward to this!
Berserk saved my life. Highly highly recommend it to anyone who can stomach the dark themes. RIP Miura
I for one am quite satisfied with what we experienced. I think that knowing how he wanted to end things on a good note, it's fairly easy to imagine what would have happened next. If his assistants decide to continue I will keep on reading and don't have a problem since I believe Miura knew of his own state plus he actively sought to give them more training/independence. Regardless, trully a great story
Still my favorite channel about comics.
For all the talk about Berserk's future and Miura's passing, I hope it spurs more conversations on health and the manga/anime industry. People shouldn't work themselves to death and the industry needs some serious change. I think it was One Piece's Oda that has mentioned the lengths he goes to to insure a healthy life setting aside time for family, leisure, and exercise.
I'm starting to read Berserk thanks to this video! Loving it so far!
Berserk encouraged me to get interested in Fantasy. It will always be a part of me.
I WILL keep reading comics, Chris! I WILL!
I didn't even consider a novelization. I mean the Miura's art was such a huge part of the experience, but at least that would provide some closure. And another artist may come along with amazing visuals.