Berserk Manga Review: The Prototype

That’s right! We’re being that thorough! And don’t you worry! I haven’t forgotten about the Lost Chapter!

The Berserk Prototype is an interesting bit of history. Very rarely do authors share the original, less polished draft of a successful story. Which is probably why I latch onto the few that do; it is endlessly fascinating to me to see what it could have been and how much it has changed.

In a small, isolated village, the people are terrorized by Vlad Tepes, a cruel lord who enjoys viciously murdering his subjects. That is until the mysterious black swordsman Guts and his elf companion Puck arrive. They’re hardly the heroes the people would have wanted, but will they will have to do. At least, if they can convince Guts to help them.

A good number of the core pillars we know in Berserk as it is can be found here. Guts, Puck, the Dragonslayer, the Brand of Sacrifice, Apostles, it’s all here. Only it’s all different. They all look different, feel different, and aim to accomplish different things.

Prototype Guts is a very different beast from the one we know and love. Not just because of the eyepatch. He’s much more animated, with highly expressive facial expressions and behavior about as subtle and polite as a brick to the face. We get a small glimpse of his backstory, which is pretty standard anti-hero fluff.

As for Puck… well, he’s just about the same. Only his wings are more bug-like.

The villains are a much different beast from what we get in the main series. Sure, the concept of Apostles is still here. But we don’t get Griffith or the God Hand. Instead, we get this unseen character that, like Griffith, is apparently closely tied to Guts’ history.

Whether they’d have been a good or bad villain is impossible to say, as they never properly existed. But the hook this prototype chapter provides is decently compelling. It leaves you curious as to what kind of a villain we would have gotten, had the series continued in this form.

Within the chapter itself, we get Vlad Tepes. He’s really not anything special, he’s basically just the Snake Lord from the first chapter. But seeing Guts fight Dracula is still cool.

Honestly, there’s not much more to say about the Prototype. It’s a fun little look into what could have been for Berserk. If the series had continued on in this form, I honestly think it could have been pretty good.

But writing is all about trial and error. Trying something that almost works, then tweaking it until it actually works. I’m just glad we got to see the first attempt. It makes the final version all the sweeter.

Now, that’s enough of what was. It’s about time we got back to what is.