Creators:
Artist/Writer: Kentaro Miura
What They Say:
Now that the evil Count has been killed and dragged to Hell by the demon lords of the Godhand, Guts, the Black Swordsman, recalls his horrific upbringing and his brutal “benefactor,” the mercenary Gambino, whose parenting skills leave much to be desired. His bleak childhood spent wandering from battlefield to battlefield, Guts’ growing skills as a slayer catch the eye of many, including the legendary Griffith, warrior leader of the Band of the Hawk, who is eager to test the fighting prowess of the young swordsman. As usual, any time that Guts is involved, there’ll be Hell to pay!
The Review:
This story arc of Berserk is entitled ‘The Golden Age’ and details the early years of Guts and his incredibly traumatic and brutal life. Of particular note, this issue marks the introduction of the first time Guts and Griffith meet, and begins to tell the story of what lead Griffith to become a member of the Godhand and where Guts’ immeasurable hatred of him comes from. Given that writer and artist Kentaro Miura enjoys taking his time in telling his stories and has a special attention to detail, I imagine that Guts and Griffith’s relationship will be told and explored and grow over many chapters and volumes to come.
Guts eventually takes revenge on the man who raped him, and even on Gambino, the wretched and heartless mercenary that has served as Guts psudo-father since he was first picked up from under the body of his dead mother. While continuing to show his prowess on the battlefield, Gambino eventually suffers a career-ending injury and loses his leg. Though he serves the camp as an advisor, he eventually becomes possessed – either by grief, anger, or something darker and attacks Guts in the dead of night. Slaying him and having no explanation for what has happened, Guts flees the mercenary band, and an arrow wound to the shoulder sends him plummeting down a ravine, and presumably to his death.
But as we all know, Guts doesn’t die easily and soon finds himself in another mercenary group, where he is treated better and with more respect for his deeds on the battlefield. He eventually defeats a noteworthy champion on the battlefield and claims a large reward, which puts him in the eyes of a few members of a group called ‘The Band of the Hawk’. Guts maims and slays two of their number, and then finds himself in direct combat with the leader of The Band, who turns out to be the Griffith we’ve seen before and with whom Guts will develop a rich and complicated relationship with. Griffith is a noteworthy character for a few reasons – the first, is that he is able to successfully, and from what we see, quite easily, defeat Guts in single combat, which we haven’t seen in the young characters life to this point. The second is that unlike everyone else in the dark and harsh ‘Golden Age’, instead of killing Guts, he takes him into The Band of the Hawk, which earns him the ire of a few members itching for revenge at their fallen comrades. But as many are quick to point out, they started it, and Griffith’s orders are such that anyone who even seems to question them quickly has a sword raised to their throats.
Griffith is also noteworthy because as an individual, he stands out in the medieval world of Berserk and seems very much unlike any other character we’ve met. He’s stern but compassionate, incredibly skillful but doesn’t seek violence as an answer, and the way Miura depicts him in the book is in an effeminate, androgynous way. The way he talks about Guts as well, telling him “I want you” leaves an open question about Griffith’s sexual orientation as well, which may be a part of he and Guts’ future relationship. He is incredibly enigmatic, but also someone that is, for all intents and purposes, a “good guy” in a dark and harsh world. We’ve been shown that kind of compassion and understand by the male characters of this series to be almost non-existent, so for someone so skilled at leading and fighting to have these characteristics makes it all the more intriguing.
The book closes with Guts first mission with The Hawks, a night time raid over a river behind enemy lines where he’s given the incredibly dangerous but equally important duty of covering the retreat, a sign that Griffith both trusts, and wants to test the young warrior, with all of his men to see the results.
In Summary:
The early chapters of this manga establish what the current situation of the world is – there’s a lot of demons, and The Black Swordsman Guts hunts them all. Specifically, he is hunting the Godhand, whom we’ve learned consists of 5 powerful demons, one of which is Griffith. Guts and Griffith have a history, and this arc of the story serves to both show us the origins of Guts as a character, watching the brutal and harsh experiences he suffers at such a young age. It also is key in explaining why Guts is the way he is when he’s older, and why he hates Griffith so much, and how Griffith went from being a compassionate, skilled swordsman to one of the most powerful demonic entities in existence.
Miura doesn’t spare with details either, as every character who has more than five minutes of screen time is given development, a personality, and real emotions that make them feel alive and a part of the world. Even if they’re only around for a few chapters or volumes, like Gambino, their impact is meaningful and felt even after they’re gone. That’s the mark of a very good storyteller – when you can introduce minor or side characters, and not only make them characters that the readers become invested in for one reason or another, but make them feel like a part of world, and not just present to serve as a plot device for the protagonist.
Miura’s artwork also has improved gradually over the last several chapters. What were once unfocused, hard to follow action sequences are beginning to develop into strong, distinct snapshots of a gruesome battle or fight. They’re not perfect yet, and every so often a panel will feel out of place or seem hard to follow in the context of the ones around it, but in general Miura’s artwork is improving, and the decisions he makes with regards to drawing Griffith are particularly noteworthy in this volume. They not only serve to set him apart from the rest of the characters we’ve met with short spiky hair, dark eyes and grim expressions, but also highlights him as one of the key characters in the story, and somewhat of a mystery to both Guts and the readers.
It feels like we’ve almost finished laying the groundwork for the story, and all the pieces are falling together. It really feels like we’re going to be getting deep into the meat and heart of this origin story soon, and I’m excited to see where it takes us.
Check back next time when I review Berserk Vol. 5!
Content Grade: A-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 14th, 2004
MSRP: $14.99
