Berserk: Volume 32

Two great forces clash as the Kushan army lay siege to the port city of Vritannis.

This is one of the best volume of berserk I have read which sees several plot threads pulled together as Kentaro builds towards the conclusion of the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc. It opens with an unlikely alliance between Guts and Zodd which is a great read. I'm a big fan of Zodd who has been in this series since the fifth volume, his appearances are always enjoyable but this is one of his best moments.  I can't wait to see the inevitable final duel between these two.

This book was a roller coaster ride filled with thrilling moments.It was good to finally get to see what the new band of the hawk can really do. I was blown away by the artwork. Somehow Kentaro manages to draw a two hundred thousand strong army and perfectly capture the chaos of an enormous battlefield. He is such a master of his craft, I loved his use of breath taking two page spreads which added to its epic feel. Griffith is pretty cool in this volume although I find it rather unsettling seeing him wielding so much power.

I love the ending which shows our heroes on a ship finally beginning their journey to Elfhelm.

Berserk: Volume 31

Monstrous soldiers swarm the city of Vritannis in the thirty first volume of Kentaro Miura's fantasy epic.

This volume is essentially one giant brawl. What I liked most about it was seeing Guts protecting his new party members. With the berserker armour on he looks like some sort of super hero as he mows down hordes of beast solider and takes on a Kushan magician. There are some great moments involving the other party members especially Scheirke. It was interesting seeing how far she has come since the earlier volumes. She is much less timid now and there is a determination about her that I find really endearing. I liked how Kentaro uses Roderick and the cowardly Magnifico, as outsiders to Guts' world their reactions to the events help ground the story very nicely.

The bulk of the volume is taken up with Gut's fight with a Kushan magic user. It is an interesting change of opponents for him as up until now he has only taken on monsters. The choreography is brilliant which really helps to showcase the terrifying power of the berserker armour. The end of this book is a bit of a cliffhanger as first Emperor Ganishka appears in all his apostle glory and then Zodd steps into the fray. I like seeing heroes struggle, if things are too easy they are boring but Kentaro is brutal to Guts in this book.

Volume thirty sets the tone for the next few volumes and begins the conclusion of the Falconia chapter.

Berserk: Volume 30

Opening with one of the most exciting fights of the series Berserk is back to its bloody best.

I love Serpico.

Truth be told I really like all the new characters that were introduced after the eclipse but there is something about Serpico that is extra special. His back story is brilliant certainly but for me it is his intelligence that sets him above the others.

In the opening scene of this volume we see him got toe to toe with Guts in one of the best duels in the entire series. The brilliance behind this fight is how he uses tactics to level the playing field. I like that Kentaro shows Guts is still able to have an honourable fight and more importantly that his strength is not reliant on gimmicks like his cannon. Right near the start of this series we are told that Guts is a master swordsman so its great to see a good old sword fight again.

The later half of this book is one monster battle as the Kushans make their move. There is a brilliant scene at a banquet which nicely showcases Guts' new parties skills. Lady Farnese who is so often reluctant to fight finally seems to develop a back bone and it was fun seeing Isidro showing off in front of the aristocrats. I really liked the new monster designs that were used, their uniformity certainly made them seem more like a military unit or weapon. Roderick who was introduced in volume twenty nine gets some good scenes too, it was good to see a 'normal' person fighting the demon beasts.

My only gripe with this volume is that it is significantly thinner than any other book in the series. A lot happens but it ends abruptly and feels as though there is a chapter missing, there isn't its just shorter. Still its another great read, thanks Kentaro!