Berserk Manga Review: Conviction (Part 1)

Here we go, guys. It’s time to talk about what may be Berserk’s most controversial arc. Aside from the boat arc, but we’ll get to that in due time.

Today, we’re covering everything within the Binding Chain chapter. Which, in reality, is a series of chapters all rolled into one. These are *deep breath*:

• The Beast of Darkness
• The Holy Iron Chain Knights Parts 1-2
• The Hollow Idol
• The Unseen
• Night of Miracles
• Past and Future
• Morning of Truth

I’d absolutely love to give each one of these sections their own article. But if I did that, I’d be reviewing Berserk until the day I died. As much as I want to dive into every single minute detail, we do need to speed things along. If you want more… just read Berserk.

You should be doing that anyways.

Wounded and exhausted, Guts is on the edge of both death and his own sanity. Before he has a chance to recover, he’s ambushed and captured by the Holy Iron Chain Knights, a militia in service to the Holy See. Unfortunately for them, their holy mission will come to a gruesome end come sundown.

Guts’ crisis at the beginning of these chapters is crazy. You legitimately can’t tell if evil spirits are messing with him again, or if he’s just losing his mind. At least, on first read; upon re-reads, when you know what that dog-like shadow really is, you know the truth. Guts is losing his mind, and his body is paying the price.

Luckily, the great lord Puck hasn’t abandoned the Black Swordsman yet.

These chapters give us one of my favorite moments of character development in Berserk. After continuously trying to shove him away, Guts finally cracks and lets Puck into his shell. Seeing the pair finally become actual friends is a delight. Now, instead of dismissing Puck’s jokes outright, Guts becomes the straight man. It’s cute, it’s heartwarming, and it’s really funny.

Speaking of characters, the Holy Iron Chain Knights introduce us to three of the series’ best. Azan, the lovable bridge knight with a strong sense of honor. Serpico, Guts’ new rival who matches the Black Swordsman’s monstrous strength with snake-like cunning. Farnese, the mad sadist/masochist with a fetish for burning people alive.

And, of course, everyone’s favorite Berserk villain: r*** horse.

That is all we’re going to say about that.

We are, however, going to talk about the scene that follows. The resulting scene of Guts’ rage is downright chilling. We’ve seen how loud and violent he gets when he’s pissed. But here? He’s quiet. Cold. And that is far more terrifying than the Beast of Darkness.

Farnese’s reaction the morning after is an incredibly interesting one. After seeing a night of horrors that shattered her understanding of the world, she views Guts almost like a divine figure in a painting. Just for a moment, she has a lapse in her faith.

She then affirms it by getting possessed by a ghost, coming onto him. Or… onto the Dragon Slayer, I guess.

I did mention early Farnese was freaky, right?

In this same scene, we get our first taste of Guts and Serpico’s rivalry. And it’s a ton of fun! The mutual respect, the badass quick-draw, the calm farewell, it’s super cool! Just their first exchange is amazing, and we’ve still got plenty more to come!

We also get our first brief explanation of Berserk’s magic system in these chapters. In this world, magic is all about cognition and perception. People like Farnese can’t see Puck or other magical creatures because the world they understand doesn’t include them.

Does that make sense? Not really. But it’s being explained by Puck, so that checks out. Plus, it adds another interesting layer to Serpico’s character, as he’s the only member of the Holy Iron Chain Knights to actually acknowledge the elf.

There are so many cool scenes I didn’t have time to touch on in this article. Guts’ first gruesome with the Holy Iron Chain Knights, his psychological demolition of Farnese and her beliefs, and Serpico and Azan’s fun back-and-forth, just to name a few. As a start to the next massive arc of Berserk, this batch of chapters is incredible!

But just you wait. We’re only getting started. Berserk is about to become a full-blown dark fantasy epic. Shit’s about to get wild!