ok this one took me a little while to read because you have to know me and my boyfriend are reading it together and i read other novels in between reading chunks of berserk so yeah it gets complicated. but god damn these are so well written and the atmosphere is so…. THERE that it takes one page to get back into it like you never put it aside. those deluxe volumes really make you feel like you’re reading in 4K HD. it draws you in the drawings. which are absolutely gorgeous.

*i will be mentioning specifically what happens in this volume so, potentially, spoilers ahead*

this volume kicks off with a griffith/zodd and guts encounter. what a BANG. the TENSION, the frustration, the action, the staging of the scenes. really sends you into the volume with a high.

one of my favorite parts of this particular volume was the serpico/farnese backstory. really makes you understand their dynamic more and understand them as individuals. gave us a little break from the main storyline but it was well placed, and a welcome and relevant tale for what was to come (joining our dear guts).

speaking of guts. this heartbreaking scene with casca broke something in me when i read it. it’s bringing the story somewhere but man i wish this wasn’t real. it is interesting seeing how guts is battling his inner demons (beast…) but damn it casca deserves a freaking break (and i can definitely understand why some readers are criticizing this particular chapter). it does lead him to accept serpico, farnese and isidro joining him and puck though.
it’s refreshing seeing guts interact with them and seeing a group dynamic settling between them all.

i also appreciated, later on, the encounter with schierke and it leading to meeting her mistress and getting a LOT of infos on some fantastic elements they’re stumbling upon (the astral world, mostly, and then the elementals). it felt a little overwhelming at times, all this info being dumped on you, but it definitely feels important and makes sense to be said and condensed at this moment.

once again, even in calmer moments, there’s always something going on, may it be introspection from a character, action, new information, anything, there’s always something engaging, something keeping you into the story. berserk is a masterclass in drawing you in and making you feel like you’re a companion, following along with guts. and even when it gets hard to read, you just can’t abandon the characters.

(and damn it all, i’ll always, always, ALWAYS, wish bad things upon that bitch ass hoe griffith when i see him)
(ok, griffith is interesting, don’t hate on me, but you’ll never catch me not wanting him to suffer. xxx)