Manga Review: Berserk Volume 39 by Kentaro Miura
Note: This post contains SPOILERS for previous volumes of the series.
Quick recap: Guts, the Black Swordsman, cuts a swath across the demon-infested country of Midland. Once a member of the famous Band of the Hawk, until they were betrayed by their leader (and Guts’ best friend) Griffith and sacrificed to allow Griffith to gain demonic power, Guts now journeys to heal the mind of his lover Casca, blasted during the Sacrifice. Despite his surly nature and the danger associated with his presence, Guts has gained a group of traveling companions who have helped him heal a bit emotionally.
At last, the ragtag bunch of misfits have landed in Elfheim, Puck and Ivalera’s homeland. It’s been a long journey, but they aren’t done yet! Witches are on watch for intruders, and send minions to fight Guts and company. Fortunately, the misunderstanding is cleared up when Archmage Gedfring arrives to explain that he was told they would be coming.
Turns out that a peaceful colony of magic-users shares the island with the Fair Folk, isolated from the world but able to sense the mystical disturbances beyond. For the first time in many months, our protagonists are able to relax and take in the wonders around them.
Magnifico’s plan to sell the elves for profit fails immediately, and we meet Danann, Queen of the Flower Storm. The fairy queen agrees to help cure Casca, but can only facilitate the process by granting young witch Schierke and apprentice Farnese access to Casca’s dreams. They will have to navigate her dark memories and the trauma that broke Guts’ lover in order to heal her mind.
And considering the monsters in Casca’s mind, this will be no walk in the park!
The art as always is detailed and excellent, with impressive splash pages of both fairyland beauty and hellish mindscape.
This volume’s plotline allows for some relatively quiet and contemplative moments, and the personality growth of some characters is mentioned. (On the other hand, Puck is considered just as annoying in his hometown as abroad.) Guts even has time to consider that even if Casca is restored to sanity, their relationship may be beyond repair.
The new character most likely to be appearing after this arc is Morda, a witch in her late teens or early twenties who’s bored with peaceful study and wants to see the dangerous outside world. Given her amoral attitude and the use of a wicker man as an attack puppet, Morda might not be joining the good guys.
In many ways, this is a nice breather volume before we plunge back into the all-violence more typical of the series. Highly recommended if you’ve enjoyed earlier parts of the series.
And here’s the opening of the 2016 anime!
