Manga Review – Berserk Vol 5 by Kentaro Miura (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Manga
Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Release Date: October 26, 2004
ISBN-13: 978-1593072513
Stand Alone or Series: 5th volume in the Berserk series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

“He is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a warrior of legendary prowess — relentless, fearless, merciless. As cold and brutal as the iron of the massive sword he wields. Bent on revenge against the unholy forces that have branded him for sacrifice, but especially on Griffith, one of the demon lords of the Godhand. But Griffith was once a man, the leader of the Hawks, a renowned cadre of elite fighters with a young Guts as its fiercest champion. Though forged in a crucible of cruelty and violence, nothing could prepare Guts for a confrontation with Nosferatu Zodd, a superhuman beast who slaughters Guts’ comrades as easily as a scythe cuts wheat. Even Guts and Griffith are no match for the abomination’s power…but something Griffith wears around his neck may well be!”

This is the 5th volume in the Berserk series. In this volume we watch over the years as Guts takes greater responsibility in the Band of the Hawk and gains Griffith’s admiration through his awesome fighting skills.

This volume culminates in a confrontation between Guts, Griffith and Nosferatu Zodd..aka..Zodd the Immortal. What follows is a spectacular battle scenes that stretches the limits of both Griffith and Guts’ abilities. After the dust settles the Band of Hawk is in a better position than ever and Griffith is finally getting the adoration from nobility that he craves.

I really enjoyed this installment of the Berserk series and continue to be impressed by how much progress each story makes. The illustration continues to be very well done and is easy to follow.

As with previous volumes there are a ton of action scenes and they are very gory. This is a manga for mature readers only.

Overall this was a spectacular installment in the Berserk series and I continue to enjoy it a lot. I would recommend to manga fans who enjoy action-packed horror/fantasy. I look forward to continuing the series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge