Berserk vol. 38
I checked the publication date for vol. 37 and found something surprising. It hasn’t been the four or five years that I thought had passed since the publication of the previous volume of “Berserk” on these shores. It’s only been three years and eight months. Does this knowledge make me feel any better about the future of this title? Not really, but the fact that vol. 39 is already out in Japan does. If mangaka Kentaro Miura can keep up this pace then we may even see the completion of this title… sometime around 2030. So no, I don’t think that anyone thinking about picking up this series should do so until the end is in sight and it looks like Miura might actually make it over the finish line. Those of you like me, who are on this train until whatever kind of end it reaches, can at least take comfort in the fact that despite the length of time between volumes “Berserk’s” storytelling remains as sharp as ever.
We pick up with the arrival of Rickert and Erica in the capital of Griffith’s empire, Falconia, which turns out to be every bit the majestic experience advertised. Surrounded by large walls adorned with glorious architecture, Falconia is a place where people and cultures from all over the world can mix and do business without fear of what’s going on outside. Even their fears of death have been quelled by the public seances Griffith holds regularly which allows family members to commune with their deceased loved ones before they pass to the other side. Yes, there’s a monster pit-fighting encampment right outside the castle, but that even comes off as smart management in allowing the “Fangs of the Hawk” to blow off steam in between battles.
Yes, everything seems to be perfect in Falconia. While now would appear be the perfect time to offer the, “Almost too perfect…” rejoinder, that’s not quite true. There’s not even the hint that something is amiss in the capital during the volume’s first half. Which is actually kind of nice and true to how Griffith’s return as the Hawk of Light has been characterized. Everything he’s done so far has been on the up-and-up. Even his recruitment of monsters has been good for mankind as he’s keeping them focused on things other than eating humans. It’s as if Griffith is utterly committed to making an actual utopia for everyone under his rule.
The problem is that said utopia was built on Griffith’s betrayal and sacrifice his former comrades in the Band of the Hawk. Guts was there and he knows the score, so it’s easy to understand his hellbent quest for vengeance. But what about Rickert? He wasn’t involved in the Eclipse and only heard about Griffith’s actions secondhand. Yet, in the volume’s strongest scene, he clearly articulates why he can’t forgive his former comrade and why this new utopia isn’t for him. For a series which regularly traffics in and thrives on over-the-top supernatural action it’s a surprisingly human moment that puts all of the grandeur we’ve seen into context. What Griffith has done in Falconia is amazing, yet the bond that he and Rickert shared as members of the Band of the Hawk is gone and can never be replaced.
How does Griffith take his rejection by Rickert? Pretty well as seen in the one scene from the chapter that follows. There’s no indication that he’s going to set the shadowy Kushan Apostle Raksas after his former comrade for such a thing. Siccing an assassin on Rickert for hurting his feelings is a kind of pettiness that Griffith has given every impression that he’s above — both pre-and-post-Godhand ascension. No, if anyone is suspect here it’s another one of the Apostles, Locus, who looks to be the instigator here.
If that is the case, then we have him to thank for setting up the action-packed second half as Rickert’s plan to leave the city with Erica is put on hold until he deals with Raksas. While the young man has his mechanical ingenuity to fall back on, he also finds some assistance from the return of Bakiraka assassin Urumi and his beyond-burly pair of companions. What ensues is the kind of supernatural action that “Berserk” does best as both sides display a surprising amount of ingenuity in order to gain the upper hand. It’s also considerably less bloody than the average fight scene in this series due to the fact that Raksas appears to be made up of 90% rags. Still, there’s a moment which will give horse-lovers pause even as you have to admire the Apostle’s on-the-spot ingenuity for dealing with being set on fire.
And what of Guts and the rest of his current band of comrades? They show up in the final chapter as everyone finally (FINALLY) makes landfall on the island of Skellig, home to the land of the elves. There’s a carefree, fun tone to these early scenes, and it even takes a detour into outright goofiness when Puck recounts the story of how he originally left the island. This isn’t a bad thing as it makes for a nice comedown from the high action of the previous chapters and is consistent with everyone having a nice long break after surviving their encounter with monster pirates, et. al.
What quickly becomes evident, however, is that the faeries aren’t really interested in dealing with uninvited visitors and have set up some defenses to keep them out. These defenses range from the fairly benign puzzle of disorienting stones, to the more active threat of living scarecrows. I can only hope that they have better ones than that because between the respective skillsets of Guts and Schierke the faeries would’ve been better off just laying out the welcome mat instead. Still, after many volumes and years the crew has finally made it to the island where Caska will either be restored to her senses or dumped off for the remainder of the series. I’m hoping for the latter even as I brace for the former.
If you’ve just started reading “Berserk” and picked up this volume right after reading vol. 37, then nothing here would indicate that there’s been a very lengthy wait between these particular volumes. It has all of the action and drama you’d expect from the series and no sign that Miura has lost any of his skill as a storyteller between volumes. Which is good to know because the only thing worse than worrying that this series will never finish is seeing it finish as only a shadow of its former glory. If long waits between volumes like this is what it takes for Miura to keep the quality up, then I can live with that. Those of you thinking of jumping on this series that is still going strong, narratively and artistically, after thirty-eight volumes are welcome to do so. Just be aware of what awaits you once you’re caught up like the rest of us.