Customer Reviews

Berserk, Vol. 23 (v. 23)

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...but that which occurred there haunts our heroes and heroines.

As Guts and Casca travel, Guts finds the job of protecting and caring for the still infantile Casca a great strain on his nerves, physical reserves, and even his sanity... as the beast within him longs for blood and the temptation his wounded lover unknowingly offers him.

Not far behind them trails Isidoro, Serpico, and the extremely confused Farnese who each hunt the Black Swordsman for their own reasons.... Isidoro is still eager to steal Gut's combat moves (when he could be learning Elf Dimensional Style from Puck) and Serpico is very much in his 'Still Waters Run Deep' mode, ever doggedly looking out for Farnese. The young noble herself, though, is awash in self-doubt after her faith was shattered by events at the Tower, and is clinging to the one thing that kept her whole during the ordeal... stubborn survivalism, as shown by Guts.

Also, this volume, we see the newly reborn Band of the Hawk on its way to becoming a mighty host yet again, this time incorporating both dedicated humans and vicious demonkin... including several apostles. It will be an interesting mirror to the main Kushan forces own elite "magical" corps. which have yet to appear (look to that in the coming volumes, after the party reaches the port city).

Art is par for the Miura course, with equal time given both to the wonderously beautiful and the repulsively ugly. ***Fair warning that at least one scene is pretty intense both in theme and depiction. Parents should pay attention to the advisory sticker.***

All in all, another nice transition volume as our party begins its travels again in search of... so many things. Look foward, in the next volume, to a village of the faithful under siege by spirits of the forest and the witch's apprentice who risks much (with the help of our party) to save them. Then there's the witch herself... who just may have some connection with a certain Knight we know.

I recommend a buy, with the caveat to read all which has come before... and after.

Long long time ago
In a land devoid of hope and light
Roamed a black swordsman
A revenge seeking knight

The twenty third folio :

Hard and lonely is the road
Our hero is travelling to a sanctuary
Scary and lonely till that abode
Praying not to fail his sanity
A burden of a companion he is with
While legions of demons upon them
Trying to feast

The war demons are starting to gather
In a dark forest a little farther
With a burden of a companion he drags
A legion of demons upon them
Trying to feast

Alas

Could that be ?

within our hero

lays a shadow of a beast ?



Postscript.
A thousand thanks to Led Production for their short live action film BERSERK - The Black Swordsman .

I like this series a lot, but it is starting to take to long to get to any climax in the books. The story line is interesting, but as most books do, it portrays the main female as helpless and completely dependent. At first she was amazing, independant and strong (also a b-otch) but now, as usuall, she is no longer. I find that aspect frustrating. There are a lot of monsters, esexual oddities, and magic through out the series. But the books can drag at times. maybe I am just inpatient. Still fun to read.