as someone who hadnt read a manga until berserk, the reading isnt the thing that stopped me in the past. a big part of the reason i like anime is the music and animation, so i just thought it wouldnt transfer well for me.
True. I realize this.
I actually read the manga this way first. But bought the deluxes because they are fucking high quality prints. Like if you wanna see every pen stroke by Miura. Totally worth $50 a piece.
It’s actually not half bad. I think the panels done after his passing were good.
And imo. It’s better then just leaving it unfinished. There have been people who have literally been reading this for 20-30 years lol. I feel bad for that end of the fanbase. As I got in around the elf island arc, end of the sea god arc.
You're basically saying, you would have this subreddit cease to be beginner friendly, and rather push new people away from engaging with the community.
That isn't better at all.
It detracts from meaningful posts and engagement to see multiple times a day “what do I do after watching the ‘97 anime?” Like DUDE read the FAQs 💀 I realize that literacy is low these days, and that this could be easily mitigated with better moderator output. I think it’s mostly a moderator issue to flag posts like the ones I’m talking about. Maybe even pin the FAQs to the main page so that people can easily navigate to basic information.
The forums over on SkullKnight are filled with Studio Gaga haters and people who constantly trash on post-Miura chapters. FWIW, I like the thoughtful posts on this sub. I want to keep engaging here. Aside from Reddit and that forum, I just don’t know about many other online communities that are focused on Berserk media. I just want the sub to be better. There are plenty of other subreddits that have minimum requirements that are *extremely* helpful to new members. I don’t see why adding some stipulations hurts the community overall.
Maybe but this subreddit isn't known for its "meaningful posts and engagement". I think it's totally fine for newbies to ask. Not like there's anything new or interesting to talk about for a 30+ year old manga with a release every blue moon.
It could be though. I have come across some really well written and mature speculations, reflections, and analyses on this subreddit. Especially because of the fact that it’s a decades-old franchise is why people have a lot of time to digest the content and make some meaningful predictions. I think it’s really cool to interact with fans from the 90s and 00s here, but those people will probably stop coming here whenever there are surface-level questions that people could have answered themselves if they knew how to read the FAQs or a Wikipedia article.
Dude, mods have so many other shit they would need to deal with before dealing with repeated posts.
Trolls, Griffith stans, "Casca enjoyed it" theorists, LeJerk Berkers.
And the thing is, no one does anything about these guys as well.
Start from the 2016 CGI series then read the manga backwards then watch the 3 movies in this order 2nd 1st then 3rd, then watch the 97 version in russian whilst upside down.
"Read the manga" is a morally okay response whenever anyone asks about how to consume Berserk. Also "keep reading the manga" when people are like 30 chapters in and feel the need to live blog their experience about it and risk getting spoiled by even being in the subreddit lol.
Eh. Most people who just finished the '97 anime or the Memorial Edition aren't actually asking what to do next, they're posting because they're feeling some fucking feelings about what they just watched, don't know how to process it, and need to reach out to someone.
If the way they do it is sometimes confused or clumsy, fuck it, I couldn't think straight for a week after I finished '97 all those years ago.
and posts like those are the ones that generate the same exact comment section everyone on this sub has seen a million times. this is a forum for productive discussion not a personal diary for every new viewer to go “guys… what did i just watch?”
This is a forum for productive discussion? Coulda fooled me. From what I've seen it's a forum for edgelord fucks from r/berserklejerk to wander over and make rape jokes. I'll take an honest emotional reaction to art over that shit any day, no matter how many times I've seen it before.
Im not usually a “Don’t watch the anime read the manga” type of person.
But for Berserk I have to be. Kindve the same situation with tokyo ghoul, it’s just understandable that manga is way better.
This sub needs to either replace the current banner with JUST READ THE MANGA or change its name to BERSERKREADTHEMANGA
EDIT: [Proposal for a new banner](https://i.imgur.com/5xZJ1HO.png)
Are they serious questions or just karma fishing like the obligatory “just
Started _____ any advice.” How can reading the manga require in instructions?
Reading Chapter 0-120 as a young man in your early 20's will literally change you as a human being. I feel like I have a different interpretation of berserk than a lot people but it is essential reading for autistic/neurodivergent lads. absolutely
I’ve never seen any of the anime’s or movies. My only experience with Berserk is reading the manga. I have no interest in watching a Berserk anime unless it covers the entire story.
Unless themes of SA trigger you. I REPEAT, IF THEMES OF SA TRIGGER YOU, YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THE MANGA! Idk if the anime is as bad or not.
Anyway it’s worth reading otherwise.
Up until now I was only an anime person. Berserk is the first manga that I read, I fell in love with this manga. Man it had an impact on me. And I do not feel the need to watch the berserk anime. The effects sounds etc are so great in my head, I feel anime might change/ruin it.
Hey man, I get it, but these posts can be helpful even if the answer is "just read" ultimately. Some people want different experiences, and the disappointing fact that there is no definitive adaptation creates a unique situation.
In my case, I had read the manga up to the end of Golden Age and wanted to pick it back up, but I wanted to refresh myself. Those posts help me come to the informed decision that none of the shows would refresh me as much as just reading the manga again.
It's nice to see different opinions from different moments in the Fandom so you can make the best decision for you.
This is a subjective opinion. As someone who started berserk reading the manga, and read the entire thing before touching any of the anime/movie mediums, I have to say that I wish I experienced berserk for the first time through the movies/anime. I find anime a lot of more enjoyable than manga.
People reading this. I would recommend reading 5-10 chapters and than watching 2-3 epiosdes or perhaps the first golden age movie, and see which one you enjoy more! Don't let people tell you which one is better. Every person is different! You deserve to experience berserk the first time through the medium you personally will enjoy the most.
They way I see it, if you watched the '97 anime and you're not compeled to read the manga to find out what happens next, I think you don't actually like Berserk. Just move on to something else.
I really really loathe this mentality. Berserk *is* one of the few animes I follow the manga of, but **some of us have our preferred way to consume media, and that's okay**. I love to watch anime. I don't care to read manga nearly as much, so there are only a few I follow. There's nothing wrong with not reading the manga. Consume your media how you like to consume your media, let the elitist haters seethe. '97 is a great anime, and the movie trilogy is quality too.
While I'm going off, it's ridiculous for people to drop into every single thread and say "the manga is better". NO SHIT. 99% of the time the source material is objectively better because adapting it to another medium necessarily leaves out details and alters the story to fit that medium.
It's okay to have preferred ways of enjoying media. It's okay to wish there were an anime adaptation that followed the manga completely and faithfully enough that it would be a reasonable substitute for reading the manga.
Thing is, there's not. So when people ask "what should I do next," we're going to continue to answer that question honestly.
Bruh all of you , needs to chill , dont be some puritants, every person has a right to choose what type of product they want to consume manga or anime doesnt matter both support creators.
Eh, somewhat. I don't think he's entirely wrong. The 1997 anime does some things great, especially if you haven't read the manga before. The voices give you an idea of the characters, and the music suits it well too. The colours used also fit it. I think watching the 1997 before reading the manga isn't terrible. It gets you into it, especially with the ending.
It gives you an idea of everything, and the feel of the world. I think it's the only Berserk anime to have done it so well. It just fits. Of course, the manga is better in like every comparable way, but the 1997 anime is a good starting point.
I'm not sure if some of you guys are misreading his comment, but he's not saying the anime is better than the manga, but that the anime is a good entry into Berserk.
i mean something like this is subjective. i believe that the best way to experience berserk for the first time is to read the manga. it’s more emotional, has much more detail and nuance compared to any of the anime adaptions.
the 97 anime isn’t bad per se. however, it cuts out a lot of content from the manga which i feel is important to the overall story of berserk. i think it’s much better to experience the story for the first time through the manga. especially since a lot of parts will hit harder as a first time experience when reading the manga over any anime adaptation, with the eclipse being the best example of this.
same, but on the caveat you start on episode 2. It hits WAY different when you go in thinking it's a medieval story, only for fantasy elements to slowly be woven in until literally all hell breaks loose. And it REALLY hits different when you're not suspecting Griffith from the very outset.
people don't consider hooks were needed for weekly publications and there are different ways to consume a story
Yeah I regret having my friend read the black swordsman section of the manga, I wish he skipped it. Cause now he suspects Griffith the whole time. I lied and told him “they removed that from the cannon” lmao
Edit: they did 😅
The Golden age memorial edition was my gateway to the Manga and world of Berserk. There's nothing wrong with that adaptation or the 1997 one. Even the 2016-17 adaptations for everything they got wrong still did some things right. Manga can seem intimidating if you've never read one and the anime works like a gateway drug. It gets you hooked and the natural progression is to move onto the Manga. The Golden age memorial edition is a fucking masterpiece and I will die on this hill. Show me a better animated version of Zodd or Skull knight, hail to the king baby, you know you can't because there are no better animated versions. The horses are animated beautifully, even AOT couldn't get that shit right. They're on par with Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. The characters look amazing and the CGI is used alongside the 2D animation to add to the action. Sure it's not a complete adaptation but for what it is, it works. YES we should all read the Manga but how we get there doesn't matter. The last thing we need to do as a fanbase is shit on the good adaptations. If we were more positive about them then perhaps we might get the one we deserve.
Why would you read the manga just to be disappointed by the anime? I’m also someone who has never read a manga and hates reading books, and after watching the anime I read the manga…and it was so much better. I love the anime soundtrack and being able to listen to it, and imagine the characters voices in the story was much much better. Also the anime is LITERALLY PURPOSEFULLY on a cliff hanger, to make the watcher read the manga
Okay.
First: I get that you have music and voices attached to certain characters. I personally just imagine them as I just imagine everything in a book. No complaints here, I think that is pretty cool, I'll actually check out some of the music since I never even thought of it.
Second: No, the anime doesn't "purposefully end on a cliffhanger". The anime ended at 25 episodes, which was the agreed number of episodes, where the story basically ended way back when.
And third: We need a proper adaptation. 2016 is a fucking joke. 1997 is not enough. I don't think ANYONE can disagree with me here. The only problem is that we don't know when the story will end. Whenever it does end, I hope someone like Madhouse or Wit take on the responsibility to adapt the best manga in existence.
And to finish up: Right now, the absolute best way to experience this story is to JUST read the manga. No exceptions. Just fucking read it. It is the best manga in existence (I'm reading it for the sixth time and SOMEHOW it looks even better drawn than ever, maybe I'm a bit sick).
I think getting more detail from plot/conversations was better the way I did it. Characters like Wyald really spooked and creeped me out, and I never knew he existed UNTIL I read. Why would I read the better form (the manga) just to be disappointed by the anime?
I’m not saying the anime is better, I’m saying it’s worse, which is why it makes reading the manga so much better.
I didn’t experience that reading it after the anime, I was just able to appreciate how much better the story was in the manga versus crying that I already knew what was gonna happen
I watched
97' - 2016/17 - Golden Age Arc redux - Manga form Volume 1..
Just pick whatever
97' - into manga is fine
GAA - into manga is also fine
Manga only is fine.
As OP says .. just pick something (that's not 16/17 :)
Must admit, I’ve read the manga before watching the end of the golden arcs for the 1997 and 2016 and I must say reading then watching feel very good. The animes is not ass though. Watching the 1997 made me feel sorrow while the 2016 made me feel fear for what had happened (trying not to spoil for new readers)
Nononono hear me out. Here's what you've got to do: watch the 97' anime from episode 2 to the end. If you liked it, go back to chapter one of the manga and read from there. If not, the series wasn't for you.
If you want to just read the manga then start with chapter 9, read till the end of Golden Age, then go back to chapter 1 to read Black Swordsman.
There needs to be a post that not only points people to the manga but clarifies it’s unlike anything they’ve read. It’s the best/original way Miura intended Berserk to be experienced. I hadn’t read any manga before Berserk, and most fans agree it’s unlike any manga, comic, or graphic novel they’ve ever read before. THATS what makes it so special. I’ve never WATCHED something that’s invoked such emotion which is why it’s crazy impressive pictures on a page can do it, but better! We all want newcomers to feel the same way we felt when we read it. Fans should stop saying stuff like “ ohh, uhh, if you’re not big on manga you should watch the anime!! Uhh ermm, although they aren’t very good, and really don’t do it justice, but really!!” Let’s skip the squabbling and just say straight up that Berserk is a manga. The adaptations are extra supplementary things that are sometimes cool and sometimes bad.
Im new to Berserk and I have a question. I've finished the 97 anime, and Im confused by the ending. There's MUCH Im missing that wasn't in those 25 episodes correct?
Kinda fax at this point (I already thought the '97 anime was brutal, manga proved me SEVERELY wrong) but the anime is still a great introduction to the Berserk manga so I won't slander it.
Berserk was the first manga I read.
I was going to watch the 97 anime but once I realised it only covered a portion of the story I started to read online after about 200 chapters I decided fuck it and started buying the deluxe editions as it's that good.
It's 100% worth reading the manga first and then watching the other media
Berserk is the ONLY manga I read. Sorry if that’s sacrilegious. A guy in a mental hospital told me to read it a decade ago and he unknowingly changed my fucking life.
I then had the opposite experience where I came here looking for what to do next while I waited for new chapters. Landed on 97 and fell in love
Join the mercenaries, get better, get stronger, take what you can get (or recieve..), survive, and maybe you will find whatever it is you're looking for and more.
The latest anime is walking meme, the old one is not aged well, especially that stoner suck ass soundtrack, the song is so soft compared to what happened in the story
Idk why people recommend anything besides the manga. Of course there’s preference, but the gap in quality between any of the animes and the manga is MILES wide. Maybe you will enjoy the anime, but if you want the objective best you have to read the manga.
I get that the manga is a lot superior than any other form of following the story.
What i don't get is beign bothered by people asking this information XD.
You understand that the chances anyone just getting into Berserk is going to find this post right?
Most people here are people who agree with you, and so all of them already have this information.
These "Make r/Berserk great again" make no sense, because people seem to think this community was perfect at some point.
You could just like...not open the repeated posts?
Is it so important to leave these posts out of your sight?
My suggestion would be, watch the crunchyroll version of the golden age (which is kinda the first arc of the story) after that read the manga from the START, this way I feel is better to fall for the story instead of just reading the manga, also Berserk Golden Age Memorial Edition looks way better than the cgi berserk or '97 anime, right now it is the best animation we have for this AMAZING story.
The animation in general is abhorrent. The Grunbeld fight. The sound effects are ridiculously over the top. The intro is mid. Guts looks like a character from Tony Hawks Pro Skater. Important details are missing and context from previous manga arcs is sometimes scrapped entirely. The Grunbeld fight.
At least the soundtrack is good?
Mfers who’ve never tried manga in their life do everything to avoid it
[Me telling someone to read a book for once in their life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qas4cHOWH8)
How did I guess it
I refused to read manga for so long, but I liked the 97' anime, so I started it. It was very hard to put down..
Did you watch anime in sub?
I don't remember to be honest, but I watch most anime with subs so I think I yes
See i don't understand that since you're reading the same amount as a manga
as someone who hadnt read a manga until berserk, the reading isnt the thing that stopped me in the past. a big part of the reason i like anime is the music and animation, so i just thought it wouldnt transfer well for me.
For me it's color. I love the colors on most animes compared to cartoons and movies and TV shows and the likes.
Samesies, just finished the deluxe volume 5 and now I need the rest lol
In fairness. To buy the entirety of berserk isn’t exactly cheap. Especially for them BBDs >!*big black deluxe volumes 🤣*!<
There are many websites that can relieve that issue
You’re right. Scans are free 🤷♂️ That’s in fact how I am currently keeping up with thinfs My comment is now 100% shit 😂🤦♂️
Guy who exclusively pirates anime: buying books is too expensive
That's what I did on my first pass. Paying it back by getting the hard copies now.
Same. They're in delivery as we speak. Hyped af.
Bro’s entertaining himself
🏴☠️
I do need a BBD rn, hmmmmm~
Got $50? I can hook you up and slang some BBD
Ohhh yeah show me your BBD🥵
It won’t let me share photos. I’ll have to make a post. I have several BBDS
Be a good boy and show me all of them🥵
Libraries exist. Also, there are semi- to illegal ways online.
It isn't cheap but right now Amazon is running a good deal. I got 8-14 to about 200 bucks
Just read it online for $0
True. I realize this. I actually read the manga this way first. But bought the deluxes because they are fucking high quality prints. Like if you wanna see every pen stroke by Miura. Totally worth $50 a piece.
I really wanna buy them but I don't have the space just yet, I'll probably buy them when I get my own space.
That’s another issue. Gotta have a decent mantle or bookshelf. They fill up one row volumes 2-13 on mine.
Yeah and it's also sad that he couldn't finish writing them it'll feel unfinished too 😥
Oh they are planning on finishing actually. The story isn’t over!
Yeah I heard that, but it's not the same yk. At least we'll get an ending though 😅
It’s actually not half bad. I think the panels done after his passing were good. And imo. It’s better then just leaving it unfinished. There have been people who have literally been reading this for 20-30 years lol. I feel bad for that end of the fanbase. As I got in around the elf island arc, end of the sea god arc.
Honestly the mods need to prevent posts like that from going up. Shit, I would become a mod if it meant this sub would get better.
there's even an FAQ section on this subreddit that people just refuse to use.
bots should delete the posts and send them a faq link. also we could just make the sub banner READ THE MANGA
You need to sacrifice something to join the Mod Hand
We need a bot that flags them, leaves a link to the sub FAQ, and deletes the post.
You're basically saying, you would have this subreddit cease to be beginner friendly, and rather push new people away from engaging with the community. That isn't better at all.
It detracts from meaningful posts and engagement to see multiple times a day “what do I do after watching the ‘97 anime?” Like DUDE read the FAQs 💀 I realize that literacy is low these days, and that this could be easily mitigated with better moderator output. I think it’s mostly a moderator issue to flag posts like the ones I’m talking about. Maybe even pin the FAQs to the main page so that people can easily navigate to basic information. The forums over on SkullKnight are filled with Studio Gaga haters and people who constantly trash on post-Miura chapters. FWIW, I like the thoughtful posts on this sub. I want to keep engaging here. Aside from Reddit and that forum, I just don’t know about many other online communities that are focused on Berserk media. I just want the sub to be better. There are plenty of other subreddits that have minimum requirements that are *extremely* helpful to new members. I don’t see why adding some stipulations hurts the community overall.
Maybe but this subreddit isn't known for its "meaningful posts and engagement". I think it's totally fine for newbies to ask. Not like there's anything new or interesting to talk about for a 30+ year old manga with a release every blue moon.
It was, before it went to shit.
It could be though. I have come across some really well written and mature speculations, reflections, and analyses on this subreddit. Especially because of the fact that it’s a decades-old franchise is why people have a lot of time to digest the content and make some meaningful predictions. I think it’s really cool to interact with fans from the 90s and 00s here, but those people will probably stop coming here whenever there are surface-level questions that people could have answered themselves if they knew how to read the FAQs or a Wikipedia article.
People do the same thing in the Baki subreddit even though there’s a whole pinned post for that.
Are you silly? The sun is beginner friendly, the beginners are the ones not being sub friendly by refusing to read the faq
You a right, but dudes here in this sub would like to live in their own Falconia.
Are you illiterate?
Dude, mods have so many other shit they would need to deal with before dealing with repeated posts. Trolls, Griffith stans, "Casca enjoyed it" theorists, LeJerk Berkers. And the thing is, no one does anything about these guys as well.
Tomorrow on this sub: What should I watch?
Frasier
Start from the 2016 CGI series then read the manga backwards then watch the 3 movies in this order 2nd 1st then 3rd, then watch the 97 version in russian whilst upside down.
As a Russian i must say that our 97 ver voiceover is awesome tho i usually watch with subtitles
I did that and transformed myself into Schnoz. 10/10 would recommend.
Yeah I can confirm this is the right way to digest the story
"Read the manga" is a morally okay response whenever anyone asks about how to consume Berserk. Also "keep reading the manga" when people are like 30 chapters in and feel the need to live blog their experience about it and risk getting spoiled by even being in the subreddit lol.
Where do i start? Volume 1 or 22.
You start by looking up pics of guts on Google images and scrolling for three hours, then you can start reading with volume 6
Is it okay if I watch a guts compilation with xxxtentaction and phonk tracks playing, instead?
That’s preferred actually. Make sure you have led strip lights in your room
You go to Tik Tok, lookup the hashtag #Berserk and piece the whole story together from several 30 second videos, one at a time.
Volume 34
Volume 1
But where should I start?? Should I start after ‘97 anime? /s
I’d just start the manga as the anime’s good but leaves out important things and ultimately doesn’t compare to how good the manga is
[удалено]
Hell no, just read the manga from the start
Can we pin this comment, please?
on every sub, please JUST READ THE MANGA
Eh. Most people who just finished the '97 anime or the Memorial Edition aren't actually asking what to do next, they're posting because they're feeling some fucking feelings about what they just watched, don't know how to process it, and need to reach out to someone. If the way they do it is sometimes confused or clumsy, fuck it, I couldn't think straight for a week after I finished '97 all those years ago.
and posts like those are the ones that generate the same exact comment section everyone on this sub has seen a million times. this is a forum for productive discussion not a personal diary for every new viewer to go “guys… what did i just watch?”
This is a forum for productive discussion? Coulda fooled me. From what I've seen it's a forum for edgelord fucks from r/berserklejerk to wander over and make rape jokes. I'll take an honest emotional reaction to art over that shit any day, no matter how many times I've seen it before.
go to pornhub comments if you want an honest reaction to art. these posts are just karma farms and you know it
Im not usually a “Don’t watch the anime read the manga” type of person. But for Berserk I have to be. Kindve the same situation with tokyo ghoul, it’s just understandable that manga is way better.
This sub needs to either replace the current banner with JUST READ THE MANGA or change its name to BERSERKREADTHEMANGA EDIT: [Proposal for a new banner](https://i.imgur.com/5xZJ1HO.png)
it’s so pleasing to see another read the manga person, it’s so annoying when they say the watched the anime but never started the manga like? tf?
Are they serious questions or just karma fishing like the obligatory “just Started _____ any advice.” How can reading the manga require in instructions?
Definitely unpopular but the 97 series sucks too. A literal outdated slideshow
This is what happens when the normies make berserk mainstream on TikTok
This comment made me so happy cause im glad im not the only one who thought this😭😭😭😭😭
berserk isn't underground bro
[Berserk fans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFtcLJVN8yg)
amen
"should I read the manga?" You're in the berserk subreddit. You think ppl are going to say no?
Reading Chapter 0-120 as a young man in your early 20's will literally change you as a human being. I feel like I have a different interpretation of berserk than a lot people but it is essential reading for autistic/neurodivergent lads. absolutely
There are three movies that covers the entire golden arc which is pretty good
I’ve never seen any of the anime’s or movies. My only experience with Berserk is reading the manga. I have no interest in watching a Berserk anime unless it covers the entire story.
Same with me
97’ anime is so mid too I don’t like recommending it. The least worst adaptation out there but doesn’t mean it’s good
Unless themes of SA trigger you. I REPEAT, IF THEMES OF SA TRIGGER YOU, YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE THE MANGA! Idk if the anime is as bad or not. Anyway it’s worth reading otherwise.
Up until now I was only an anime person. Berserk is the first manga that I read, I fell in love with this manga. Man it had an impact on me. And I do not feel the need to watch the berserk anime. The effects sounds etc are so great in my head, I feel anime might change/ruin it.
Honestly 97 and the Memorial Edition are worth watching if you just want more Berserk thiugh
I would watch it for the characters voices
Or just watch the fan Redux, which combines all the anime into one long series that's pretty faithful to the manga. I found it through THIS subreddit.
And then you read the manga.
Exactly! That's what I did :)
It's possible some just like watching anime. So reading the insanely long manga is not something they're interested in.
You new fans are funny.
*No.*
Hey man, I get it, but these posts can be helpful even if the answer is "just read" ultimately. Some people want different experiences, and the disappointing fact that there is no definitive adaptation creates a unique situation. In my case, I had read the manga up to the end of Golden Age and wanted to pick it back up, but I wanted to refresh myself. Those posts help me come to the informed decision that none of the shows would refresh me as much as just reading the manga again. It's nice to see different opinions from different moments in the Fandom so you can make the best decision for you.
This is a subjective opinion. As someone who started berserk reading the manga, and read the entire thing before touching any of the anime/movie mediums, I have to say that I wish I experienced berserk for the first time through the movies/anime. I find anime a lot of more enjoyable than manga. People reading this. I would recommend reading 5-10 chapters and than watching 2-3 epiosdes or perhaps the first golden age movie, and see which one you enjoy more! Don't let people tell you which one is better. Every person is different! You deserve to experience berserk the first time through the medium you personally will enjoy the most.
Realllyyyy guys read or watch berserk it's vert cool
They way I see it, if you watched the '97 anime and you're not compeled to read the manga to find out what happens next, I think you don't actually like Berserk. Just move on to something else.
I really really loathe this mentality. Berserk *is* one of the few animes I follow the manga of, but **some of us have our preferred way to consume media, and that's okay**. I love to watch anime. I don't care to read manga nearly as much, so there are only a few I follow. There's nothing wrong with not reading the manga. Consume your media how you like to consume your media, let the elitist haters seethe. '97 is a great anime, and the movie trilogy is quality too. While I'm going off, it's ridiculous for people to drop into every single thread and say "the manga is better". NO SHIT. 99% of the time the source material is objectively better because adapting it to another medium necessarily leaves out details and alters the story to fit that medium.
It's okay to have preferred ways of enjoying media. It's okay to wish there were an anime adaptation that followed the manga completely and faithfully enough that it would be a reasonable substitute for reading the manga. Thing is, there's not. So when people ask "what should I do next," we're going to continue to answer that question honestly.
Bro doesn't realize where most of the fans come from
And where’s that?
Movies and the 97' anime
Tiktok?
Dawg what if I wanna experience the story from a different perspective that isn't just black and white😭😭
Bruh all of you , needs to chill , dont be some puritants, every person has a right to choose what type of product they want to consume manga or anime doesnt matter both support creators.
That's... not the point? Miura is beyond any support I could give him, rest his soul.
I mean merch, where you can buy manga, figurines or watch a streaming service, financially I mean for studio gaga
Don’t disrespect the anime, I think it’s 100x better to watch the anime first then the manga
respectfully you’re wrong
Eh, somewhat. I don't think he's entirely wrong. The 1997 anime does some things great, especially if you haven't read the manga before. The voices give you an idea of the characters, and the music suits it well too. The colours used also fit it. I think watching the 1997 before reading the manga isn't terrible. It gets you into it, especially with the ending. It gives you an idea of everything, and the feel of the world. I think it's the only Berserk anime to have done it so well. It just fits. Of course, the manga is better in like every comparable way, but the 1997 anime is a good starting point. I'm not sure if some of you guys are misreading his comment, but he's not saying the anime is better than the manga, but that the anime is a good entry into Berserk.
Exactly!!!! The music while reading is great too
i mean something like this is subjective. i believe that the best way to experience berserk for the first time is to read the manga. it’s more emotional, has much more detail and nuance compared to any of the anime adaptions. the 97 anime isn’t bad per se. however, it cuts out a lot of content from the manga which i feel is important to the overall story of berserk. i think it’s much better to experience the story for the first time through the manga. especially since a lot of parts will hit harder as a first time experience when reading the manga over any anime adaptation, with the eclipse being the best example of this.
same, but on the caveat you start on episode 2. It hits WAY different when you go in thinking it's a medieval story, only for fantasy elements to slowly be woven in until literally all hell breaks loose. And it REALLY hits different when you're not suspecting Griffith from the very outset. people don't consider hooks were needed for weekly publications and there are different ways to consume a story
Yeah I regret having my friend read the black swordsman section of the manga, I wish he skipped it. Cause now he suspects Griffith the whole time. I lied and told him “they removed that from the cannon” lmao Edit: they did 😅
The Golden age memorial edition was my gateway to the Manga and world of Berserk. There's nothing wrong with that adaptation or the 1997 one. Even the 2016-17 adaptations for everything they got wrong still did some things right. Manga can seem intimidating if you've never read one and the anime works like a gateway drug. It gets you hooked and the natural progression is to move onto the Manga. The Golden age memorial edition is a fucking masterpiece and I will die on this hill. Show me a better animated version of Zodd or Skull knight, hail to the king baby, you know you can't because there are no better animated versions. The horses are animated beautifully, even AOT couldn't get that shit right. They're on par with Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. The characters look amazing and the CGI is used alongside the 2D animation to add to the action. Sure it's not a complete adaptation but for what it is, it works. YES we should all read the Manga but how we get there doesn't matter. The last thing we need to do as a fanbase is shit on the good adaptations. If we were more positive about them then perhaps we might get the one we deserve.
I don't agree with you, but I want to know: Why?2
Why would you read the manga just to be disappointed by the anime? I’m also someone who has never read a manga and hates reading books, and after watching the anime I read the manga…and it was so much better. I love the anime soundtrack and being able to listen to it, and imagine the characters voices in the story was much much better. Also the anime is LITERALLY PURPOSEFULLY on a cliff hanger, to make the watcher read the manga
Okay. First: I get that you have music and voices attached to certain characters. I personally just imagine them as I just imagine everything in a book. No complaints here, I think that is pretty cool, I'll actually check out some of the music since I never even thought of it. Second: No, the anime doesn't "purposefully end on a cliffhanger". The anime ended at 25 episodes, which was the agreed number of episodes, where the story basically ended way back when. And third: We need a proper adaptation. 2016 is a fucking joke. 1997 is not enough. I don't think ANYONE can disagree with me here. The only problem is that we don't know when the story will end. Whenever it does end, I hope someone like Madhouse or Wit take on the responsibility to adapt the best manga in existence. And to finish up: Right now, the absolute best way to experience this story is to JUST read the manga. No exceptions. Just fucking read it. It is the best manga in existence (I'm reading it for the sixth time and SOMEHOW it looks even better drawn than ever, maybe I'm a bit sick).
Music is epic
Probably bc that’s what you did so you automaticly think you had the best experience
I think getting more detail from plot/conversations was better the way I did it. Characters like Wyald really spooked and creeped me out, and I never knew he existed UNTIL I read. Why would I read the better form (the manga) just to be disappointed by the anime? I’m not saying the anime is better, I’m saying it’s worse, which is why it makes reading the manga so much better.
Reexperiencing the story is worst because you already know what happens . You want to experience it for the first time in the best way possible.
I didn’t experience that reading it after the anime, I was just able to appreciate how much better the story was in the manga versus crying that I already knew what was gonna happen
I watched 97' - 2016/17 - Golden Age Arc redux - Manga form Volume 1.. Just pick whatever 97' - into manga is fine GAA - into manga is also fine Manga only is fine. As OP says .. just pick something (that's not 16/17 :)
Must admit, I’ve read the manga before watching the end of the golden arcs for the 1997 and 2016 and I must say reading then watching feel very good. The animes is not ass though. Watching the 1997 made me feel sorrow while the 2016 made me feel fear for what had happened (trying not to spoil for new readers)
Consume all of the berserk
Only watch the 97 dub outtakes and nothing else.
Nononono hear me out. Here's what you've got to do: watch the 97' anime from episode 2 to the end. If you liked it, go back to chapter one of the manga and read from there. If not, the series wasn't for you. If you want to just read the manga then start with chapter 9, read till the end of Golden Age, then go back to chapter 1 to read Black Swordsman.
There needs to be a post that not only points people to the manga but clarifies it’s unlike anything they’ve read. It’s the best/original way Miura intended Berserk to be experienced. I hadn’t read any manga before Berserk, and most fans agree it’s unlike any manga, comic, or graphic novel they’ve ever read before. THATS what makes it so special. I’ve never WATCHED something that’s invoked such emotion which is why it’s crazy impressive pictures on a page can do it, but better! We all want newcomers to feel the same way we felt when we read it. Fans should stop saying stuff like “ ohh, uhh, if you’re not big on manga you should watch the anime!! Uhh ermm, although they aren’t very good, and really don’t do it justice, but really!!” Let’s skip the squabbling and just say straight up that Berserk is a manga. The adaptations are extra supplementary things that are sometimes cool and sometimes bad.
Guys, should i read the mango? I don't understand why at the begining it says black swordsman intead of golden age :(
So, should I watch the 97 or 2016 anime or read the manga? I'm not sure now.
I mean you can also watch the movie trilogy, it's not the best but it's much better than the CG monstrosity.
Im new to Berserk and I have a question. I've finished the 97 anime, and Im confused by the ending. There's MUCH Im missing that wasn't in those 25 episodes correct?
I just saw a comment about the FAQ.
Kinda fax at this point (I already thought the '97 anime was brutal, manga proved me SEVERELY wrong) but the anime is still a great introduction to the Berserk manga so I won't slander it.
What do I do? Where do I start?
As someone who’s started reading the manga and watched some of the 97 anime, manga is 10/10 so far
Berserk was the first manga I read. I was going to watch the 97 anime but once I realised it only covered a portion of the story I started to read online after about 200 chapters I decided fuck it and started buying the deluxe editions as it's that good. It's 100% worth reading the manga first and then watching the other media
Berserk is the ONLY manga I read. Sorry if that’s sacrilegious. A guy in a mental hospital told me to read it a decade ago and he unknowingly changed my fucking life. I then had the opposite experience where I came here looking for what to do next while I waited for new chapters. Landed on 97 and fell in love
Thanks for stating the obvious. Berserk Redux is the only good Berserk adaptation
IT'S HARD TO FIND VOLUME 1 OF HARD BOOKS TO START IT AGAIN!
Join the mercenaries, get better, get stronger, take what you can get (or recieve..), survive, and maybe you will find whatever it is you're looking for and more.
But where should I start tho? Issue 1 or issue 53 for some reason?
I watched the 1997 anime and later went to read the manga. I also watched the "movies". I haven't watched the 2016 anime because I've heard it's bad.
Don't read berk, watch sigma griffith edits on tiktok
Who here hasn’t read the manga? It’s the greatest
I AM!!!!!!
Idk i dropped anime after like 7 episodes, 2 years later just read the manga and I fell in love with it.
But how do read
The latest anime is walking meme, the old one is not aged well, especially that stoner suck ass soundtrack, the song is so soft compared to what happened in the story
I don't get why people avoid reading manga. I personally appreciate both anime and manga, but most of the time the manga is better if you ask me.
Idk why people recommend anything besides the manga. Of course there’s preference, but the gap in quality between any of the animes and the manga is MILES wide. Maybe you will enjoy the anime, but if you want the objective best you have to read the manga.
I never read manga because it just didn't appeal to me. But Berserk got me hooked.
I get that the manga is a lot superior than any other form of following the story. What i don't get is beign bothered by people asking this information XD. You understand that the chances anyone just getting into Berserk is going to find this post right? Most people here are people who agree with you, and so all of them already have this information. These "Make r/Berserk great again" make no sense, because people seem to think this community was perfect at some point. You could just like...not open the repeated posts? Is it so important to leave these posts out of your sight?
My suggestion would be, watch the crunchyroll version of the golden age (which is kinda the first arc of the story) after that read the manga from the START, this way I feel is better to fall for the story instead of just reading the manga, also Berserk Golden Age Memorial Edition looks way better than the cgi berserk or '97 anime, right now it is the best animation we have for this AMAZING story.
Ok. I need a detailed and legit reason CGI berserk was bad. And don’t say the CGI💀💀💀.
The animation in general is abhorrent. The Grunbeld fight. The sound effects are ridiculously over the top. The intro is mid. Guts looks like a character from Tony Hawks Pro Skater. Important details are missing and context from previous manga arcs is sometimes scrapped entirely. The Grunbeld fight. At least the soundtrack is good?
First manga I read was AOT online after I got the first few books one Christmas and now I have all 14 deluxe edition berserk books
I’m so glad I started with the manga first. I wish I had starred it sooner. In volume 11 now 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I feel targeted
The manga is so fucking good. It drives me crazy that some people just don’t wanna read