I finished reading the Berserk series, a manga that spans 41 volumes released over 30 years.
I'd tried reading the series several times in the past but never got past volume 3 -- I decided give it another go now that the author passed away and the series is therefore essentially "finished". It gets SO much better after volume 3.
It's a lot. The series is drenched in the 80's/90's sex & hyper-violence that seems to have died out in the medium in recent years. I don't think I'd be comfortable openly recommending the series to everyone I know, as there's a lot of problematic content in there some might be upset by, but there's certainly something special about the series. There's a reason it's inspired so many other works and characters. It's got teeth.
The author manages to paint this bleak work full of pain, and fills it with some seriously horrific and grotesque scenes. Body horror, psychological horror and sexual horror are all leveraged here. This is definitely done partially for shock value, but it's also to build up the the sense of dread and evil baked into the story's world. The author wants things to feel hopeless and irredeemable as set up for later events.
In between the scenes of hyper-violent gore-soaked action and more cartoon nipples than entirely necessary the series contemplates the values and costs of friendship, the ability to depend on others weaker than one's self, and Guts' conflicting driving forces and goals. The comic relief and emotional scenes contrasted against the brutal backdrop makes it easy to love supporting characters in both the "Golden Age" and "Millenium Falcon" arcs. This also sets the stage for one of the most brutal betrayals I've read in any medium which kicks off the plotline for the rest of the series.
Guts as a character is interesting -- a gentle soul (bear with me) forged by continuous cruelties into a monster. His lack of trust runs deep, making scenes where he opens up to other characters all the more powerful. By the Conviction Arc we see and understand a man driven by self-destructive fury, an unstoppable force of heavy steel and violence who in the following arc needs to protect a fragile thing, having only said steel and violence as his tools.
Guts is a thoroughly broken man (at points he converses with a black dog within him) who must slowly re-learn how to rely on the people around him, and in turn be reliable. Though he fears (literally) hurting them, he does eventually finally let his guard down to his rag-tag band of misfits. This is difficult for him -- letting his guard down has hurt him so many times before, and his internal struggle plays out in some of the most consistent and intricate artwork I've seen in a manga series.
The story itself is fantastic and sucks you in once you're into the Golden Age arc. It makes for an unforgettable journey that though left incomplete, ends on a satisfactory note while still bringing up many thought-provoking possibilities. It would have been a tragedy to leave it at volume 40!
The rest of the story and implications of the final panel is, for now, left to the imaginations of decades of fans. I find myself relived, to be honest, as I'm sure had the story continued, Guts would be forced to survive more tragedies still for the sake of the plot.
For now, at least, the poor tortured soul can rest, restless as he may be.