Horror Book Reviews
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Title: Berserk ( Volume 11) |
Review of Berserk, Volume 11
- The Band of the Hawk - what's left of them - are on the run, Guts and Casca having rescued the Hawks' leader, Griffith, from the horrors of the King of Midland's dungeons. Starved, tortured mercilessly and imprisoned in an iron mask, Griffith hangs to life and sanity by a thread... and he'll be no help against the King's latest charges sent to bring him back to pay for his dalliance with the King's daughter. Now the depleted Hawks will have to face the Knights of the Black Dog, led by the merciless, bestial Wyald... one bad dog who's even worse when he unleashes the beast within!
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Comments for Berserk ( Volume 11)
- Posted on 2007-11-18
"I don't think I can wait until the eclipse"
This volume is just one long fight between Guts and the Black Dog. Another tough opponent shows up, and we quickly get the sense that he is not human, which may represent Guts' toughest challenge yet. Also, he seems familiar, doesn't he? Although this installment is mostly about fighting, the quality is still outstanding, due to the high intensity, to the constant sense of doom and to Guts trying to overcome it.
The nature of this volume is such that the violence escalates, reaching an all time high in the series, especially with the deeds performed by the Demon Dogs. This, once again, allows for an impressive display of Miura's drawing skills. But this volume is not only about violence, since the demons provide Griffith, Guts and the rest of the Band with some important information about the future as it relates to the eclipse. Ohh, and there is a very special visitor towards the end. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Score: 5
- Posted on 2006-05-22
Yuck
With all the sentimentality of the past two volumes out of the way, Berserk really gets down and dirty with this, the eleventh volume of this bloody and violent series. In this volume, nothing is held back; it's almost getting to the point where I'm thinking there has to be something wrong with me for enjoying this series so much to this point. Yes, early on I was disappointed by Berserk because of some of the content (the child molestation scene in volumes three and four) but now, even with a graphic rape and dismemberment scene, it seems Berserk can do no wrong to me. Thankfully, I'm still cheering for the good guys so I can't be all messed up in the head; I couldn't wait for Guts to get revenge for the poor girl who had to go through the scene mentioned above. Plus, the story is heating up and adding things that weren't found in the anime, which is always good.
This volume starts only moments after Guts and friends escape from Midland Castle with Griffith, now only a husk, and they are being hunted by a mercenary group almost as famous as the Band of the Hawk, the Knight of the Black Dog, made up entirely of criminals with a leader who is... less than human, I'll say. Most of this volume centers around the remaining members of the Band of Hawk's battle with the Black Dog Knights, and with Guts's battle with their powerful leader. The action in this volume is intense and is almost entirely new to what the anime was, and is getting to the point where the anime had ended.
It's amazing to me that a series that has continued this long hasn't entered a state of complete stupidity that other long-running manga or anime has (see any of the Shonen Jump titles for this). Everything is still tied tightly to the main story, and rarely does it ever stray. Berserk is just an amazing manga, as it is well-written, artistically drawn, and horrifying. Though for a time I was in doubt, I'm now sure that this is still my favorite manga out. Chances are, if you're reading this, you're familiar with the Berserk franchise, so I probably don't need to recommend this... but I will anyways. Get this volume, and any other that came out before or after this.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2006-05-02
Dark, violent, and worth reading
Volume 11 of Kentaro Miura's medieval fantasy epic Berserk sets the stage for the end of the "Golden Age" story arc and the beginnings of the "Retribution" arc. This volume focuses primarily on action (e.g. fantastic fight sequences, especially between Guts and Wyald, a character introduced in volume 10) rather than advancing the Berserk plot, and Miura succeeds admirably. The supernatural elements introduced in the first several volumes (the "Black Swordsman" flashback arc) but muted during the "Golden Age" are starting to intrude upon the human realm once again and threatening to engulf the world of Guts.
The review mentioning hentai is bit misleading: there is arguably no gratuitous sex in volume 11 that you would expect to find in hentai. While the images may excite some readers, I believe that Miura included nudity/sex that you find in volume 11 (and also in other volumes) to demonstrate the depravity of certain situations and characters.
Score: 5
