Berserk has managed to be one of the longest-running manga series to date, having been first released in 1989. The author, Kentaro Miura, is infamous for the serialized manga’s series of hiatuses, the longest of which took 10 months between chapters, beginning in September 2014 and ending in July 2015. Given that the manga’s serializer, Young Animal, only publishes their magazine bi-monthly, that’s quite a while for fans of the series to go without a new chapter. While there were concerns about another hiatus after two chapters were released last year, and another released this April, fans were delighted when Young Animal released the preview for their June issue, and not just because of the gravure idols.
While having yet another two chapters released so far this year doesn’t mean there won’t be a hiatus still, it’s always nice to get more than what you were expecting. The newest chapter will drop on June 26th, continuing the tortured saga of Guts, Casca, and Griffith yet again.
For those unfamiliar with Berserk, here’s a quick synopsis:
His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won’t take his fate lying down; he’ll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned — and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death… or vengeance.
While the above summary is from the English print of the series, the story of both Berserk and Guts remains fairly complicated, enough that the series has its own Official Guidebook, also written by Kentaro Miura. For those looking for somewhere to start, the series has 40 volumes translated into English as of last year. For those wanting to catch up, you have a wealth of options, from three anime films and TV series, a novel, and a live-action PV made to celebrate the release of the 40th manga volume. Whichever way you choose to get into Berserk, you’re sure to have a hell of a time.
Source: Comicbook.com, Young Animal
