To those who have followed this manga all the way, i have 2 questions.

1. Have you seen some signs of it about to end already?? NO SPOILERS PLEASE!

2. Should i start reading this now?

Seeing that it has started for 24 years now, I am holding myself back to read it until it is approaching the end.

Thanks.

1. Consensus right now seems to be that the author is probably going to die before he finishes it = P

2. At least check out the Golden Age Arc, starts on the last chapter of volume three ^^

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"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown"

Agree on the 1st one. Berserk will not be finished by the original author unless the pace of the publications is significantly improved, but that just isn't going to happen (I'll be happy to be proven wrong on this).

Start right now. There is no real reason for delaying, unless you are absolutely adamant about waiting 'till it is finished, but then, if you were, you wouldn't be asking this in the first place. But just start at the beginning. The portions before the start of the Golden Age Arc don't take that long anyway and I'd personally find it weird to skip any material or to go back to those first 3 volumes later on.

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Start now and know that the first 2 Volumes are only "good" and that the first scene of the manga is it´s worst by far. All in all the best thing i have read, the art is unrivaled form about Vol. 20 onwards(only Vol. 2 looks off to me) and crazy ambitious too.
Have fun rereading it at least once after catching up to get the full picture and stay away from the new movies. Such a mess. The old anime is nice for the first 2/3 and then skips too much. 8,5/10 The anime´s music is just the best and Souls games are a nice companion piece. Beserk is a 10/10 and Golden Age is not even the best part.
This could also be the most "adult" non hentai or egu-guro wannabe that was ever published in a mass market magazine(Violenece Jack is tamer and hell on earth).
Be prepared or staa away. Ice and Fire is also tamer and that one has Lolis getting gangraped by 50+ people (HBO skipped that one) and a Baby is bashed against a wall. Bersek ups that one by having a graphic satanic sex orgy where satanists are cooking small children as an initiation right. And NO the content is actually justified 95% of the time. The mature tag is thus earned the right way.

Here is an official letter from Miura regarding the length and a great Berserk forum:
http://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=9513.50
Expect another 10 to 15 long and quality filled years.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 2:25 pm, Oct 6 2014

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

I'd recommend holding off on it for AT LEAST a year or two. I waited for several years before reading it, and I wish I had waited a couple of years more. Among the best I've ever read in any format, but the pace is appalling and it's just made me detest Miura.

1.there are signs that this could wrap up in about 10-20chapters if he wanted to but...since he makes around 3 chapters a year and it brings in lots and lots of money...you never know how long he is going to milk this cow

2.start reading it now and of course at the begining...but take it SLOW ...2 chapter/week or something like that
...the wait for new chapters = VERY frustrating


the later part of this manga is not gold
you keep reading becouse you liked the early parts

Well obviously you just don't like the direction its gone. Now while I absolutely abhor his appalling work ethic (his hiatus is always for a stupid ass reason)
That aside though I wouldn't recommend picking it up for a while, maybe a year or 2 or maybe even just wait till he finishes it but unless he just gets bored Berserk isn't that close to finishing.

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Currently Reading: Gave up counting after 100 Manga...
Currently Watching: everything

The manga is NOT wrapping up this decade. The current story fells like the middle of act 4 of 5. The last 4-5 chapters were just gold. The only thing wrong with the manga are about 2 chapters of pirates too many and some rushed art early on due to overwork on the authors part. Why is anyone logicly crying over the delays ? Drawing at this level takes time and Miura does about 1 page per day. Almost no A level western artist(Greg Capullo for example is capable of such insanity) can do that and he has to plot/oversee the franchise too. When does he sleep ?

Last edited by residentgrigo at 3:08 pm, Oct 7 2014

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb

Hi guys. Thanks for the replies.

Since the end is not in sight, i guess i'll give it a go anyway. No point holding back my curiosity on this manga.

But 1 question, what the hell is the Golden Age Arc and why is everybody mentioning it?? Say something but absolutely SPOILER-FREE PLEASE!


Thanks

The Golden Age is the second arc in Berserk and it tells the backstory of the main character and explains his motives in the present. Basically, it's the most important arc since it sets up everything about the story. It's also one of the best manga stories ever told. It's incredible.

I think you made a good decision to start reading it. Who knows when the manga will end and reading a chapter after a long wait is a pretty satisfying experience, I think.

Last edited by ThirySixChambers at 1:00 am, Oct 11 2014

Yep. Golden Age Arc is a 10 Vol.origin story from Vol.3 to 4 onwards that keeps beeing adapted into anime. Just don´t watch the movies. Nooooooo.
Shure it is great but it only gives us the language and world of the series. The actual series and the reason Miura is at it will be the other 80% or so.

Last edited by residentgrigo at 1:00 pm, Nov 7 2014

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I also read EU/US comics and am a librarian.
Manga-Masters, My ANN-Lists + Imdb