Berserk

 

Stories come in many forms. It could be a movie, a novel, a comic, a poem, or even a song. This one story, however, actually made an impact on me, especially because when I was exposed to this story, I was filing for divorce... a difficult time for me. This story casts a lens on the nature of people. The world of Berserk is a dark and cruel one and one densely layered with all manner of broken people who are struggling to find their own place within it.

 

The protagonist, Guts, is incredibly sympathetically written. Everything bad that could happen to a person has happened to Guts. An orphan of war, Guts was raised by a ruthless mercenary and suffered physical and emotional abuse. And unfortunately... much much worse. The experience left Guts emotionally damaged, and the only way he knew how to express himself was through battle, and hence he became very good at it. Seeing him trying to overcome his demons and learn to accept people again is rewarding, and makes some of the later occurrences very tragic. While the story of Guts is rich on its own, the world of Beserk has many people on their own paths that blend well with Gut's journey. Even minor characters have the same amount of thought put into who they are as people and their shifting place in the story as things progress. All these aspects make the world feel Beserk alive and dense.

 

A lot of times, many stories out there feel like the world is reforming around the main character's journey. But in Beserk, there is a real sense that the world at large is something that Guts and his companions must push through, not something that will adjust to their whims. It's cold, and it's unforgiving, and it carries on regardless of their actions and at the worst of times can feel incredibly nihilistic. Guts may save the woman he loves from a fire, but all the while the world still burns. This is the kind of writing that I crave and thirst for. Berserk, the most impressive storyline I have ever experienced, and one that I highly recommend.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUkvcNP5T4k