Berserk Manga Review: Magic

Remember that Netflix show, ‘Troll Hunter’? That series would have been 1000% better if Guts were in it. No explanation, he just shows up, leaves carnage in his wake, then leaves. You can have that one for free, Netflix.

Now that you’ve all gotten the top-tier comedy gold you all come here for, let’s talk about a manga.

Last time on Berserk: the party got new magical gear before heading to Enoch Village to kill some trolls. Despite the villagers being desperate, they’re not especially welcoming for a witch and her menagerie of weirdos. We got some valuable insight into Isidro’s head, and Schierke has a bone to pick with the entire human race.

Today, we’re covering the following chapters:

• Troll Raid
• Magic Sword
• Mirror of Sin
• Magic
• The Arcana of Invocation

Standing before the church, Schierke explains her disdain for humanity to Guts. The structure is built upon a shrine to the land’s spirits, crushing their sacred home both figuratively and literally. She laments that the Holy See and its followers invoke the name of God to justify war and to seek salvation. Yet in doing so, they forget the beings who could truly bring them peace.

Continuing, Schierke explains that Flora once wandered the land, using her magic to help those she met on her travels. But when the church rose to power, the elder witch was forced to live in the forest, driven into hiding for her life. Yet even after that, Flora still sent her apprentice to help the people who betrayed her. Schierke is unable to understand her master’s selflessness, burning with hate for those who pushed her mentor away.

So Guts makes a suggestion: walk away. If she doesn’t want to help, then she shouldn’t. He sees her actions as idiocy, even callously mentioning that Flora was going to die soon as a point in his argument. Naturally, Schierke is stunned by his heartlessness, denying in her mind that her fate could ever be tied with his.

This is a fantastic moment for both of these characters. Guts’ advice may sound heartless, but it makes sense when you remember the things he did for Griffith back in the Golden Age. His experience serving someone else’s aims only led to disaster, bloodshed, and tragedy; of course Guts wouldn’t want Schierke to go through the same thing.

Schierke, on the other hand, has been dealt a much better hand with Flora than Guts got with Griffith. The trust and admiration she holds for her master is far more positive and genuine. Of course she would see Guts’ advice as an insult. It’s a fantastic launch pad for the relationship between these two characters, which goes on to become one of the strongest in the entire series.

Back in their rooms, Serpico watches over Farnese, who in turn watches over Casca. He’s still worried about their journey, even now considering taking his half-sister away from Guts and the others. But when he sees her smiling with Casca, he admits that she may have been right to stay. Stepping outside, he laments the irony of his new bond with the wind spirits. They are free to go where they want or do what they want. Completely unlike Serpico himself.

At the same time, we see Farnese begin to develop some confidence. When the uncooperative Casca starts to get out of hand, Farnese puts her foot down and gently pulls her back into line. Their budding sisterhood is genuinely adorable, yet it also paints a tragic inversion of how Serpico is feeling. Farnese is finally finding a place where she can belong and be free, but Serpico still feels chained by his commitment to her. So much character development for both of these characters, all crammed into three simple, beautiful pages. Miura’s writing talents were every bit as incredible as his drawing abilities.

But the time for character development has ended. The trolls have arrived, attacking the town in full force. The townsfolk and our heroes make for the church, but the monsters are already inside. When they bear down on a mother and her child, Serpico rushes in to help, but his grasp on his new weapon’s magical abilities is still tenuous. Because of his earlier concerns, perhaps?

In any case, after another try, he unleashes its full power upon the ravenous beasts. It’s every bit as beautiful as it is awesome. Alas, Isidro’s attempts at heroism don’t go over quite so well.

Casca falls over, and Farnese leaps to shield her. Luckily, their silver chain holds the trolls off long enough for Serpico to save the day. Unfortunately, they’re now surrounded. The villagers and the priest hang their heads and lament the inevitable deaths of their would-be protectors.

Until Guts steps forward and works his magic.

A few jaw-dropping full page action panels later, and the Black Swordsman stands over a horde of troll corpses, leaving townsfolk and monsters alike utterly stunned. Even Schierke is amazed by the display of carnage. But is it because he’s superhuman? Or is it because of the ominous shadow hanging over the Dragon Slayer?

We all know it’s the former, but we’ll let the witch cook.

Setting that aside, Schierke orders the townsfolk into the church as she prepares to cast a spell. The priest, still being skeptical despite the indisputable displays of actual magic playing out before him, rushes to the rooftop to stop her. While Guts, Serpico, and Isidro fight the trolls, Farnese and Casca follow the priest to stop him.

When Farnese tries to reason with him, the priest orders her to silence. He believes that god has consigned the village to this grim fate, and it would be better to simply accept that than to lean upon wicked magic. In this moment, Farnese is struck by a haunting realization: she used to be the same as this man. A blind sycophant determined to lead others to their deaths in God’s name. Feeling herself a hypocrite, Farnese deflates.

Then Casca tugs on her cloak. Small as this gesture is, it gives Farnese the confidence she needs to get the priest away from Schierke. Unfortunately, the trolls are already infesting the church, both inside and out.

Down below, Guts and the boys notice the danger. Grinding his teeth, Guts orders Serpico and Isidro into the church, depending on them to protect the women and the townsfolk while he keeps up the fight on the front lines. Still the Raider’s Captain through and through.

In the church, Serpico uses his new cloak to fly over the crowd and lay waste to more trolls. Up on the roof, the trolls close in around Casca, and a terrified Farnese lets out a scream so guttural and fierce that even the trolls are stunned by it. Big Sis Farnese is ready to go full Guts-Berserk mode to protect her baby sister and I love it so much.

Back inside the church, Isidro is struggling with his own fight. While his determination is unquestionable, he’s still unpracticed in his new fighting style. Before his mistakes can get the boy killed, Morgan leaps in to shield him, inspiring the other villagers to join in the battle. A fantastic pay-off to their heart-to-heart under the bridge, as well as a good launching point for Isidro’s arc going forward.

While all of this is happening, Schierke enters a trance-like state, entering a strange place of darkness. Here, she calls upon the Lords of Land, Sea, Sky, and Fire to shelter the church and its denizens from harm. It’s a jaw-dropping sequence, with all four lords taking simple yet overwhelming and beautiful forms. There’s a great sense of wonder, power, and yes: magic. It’s absolutely incredible.

Even more so when the spell takes effect.

With the barrier raised and the Four Lords active, the trolls all burst into flames and the injured townsfolk begin to heal. Despite this being objectively good, the priest falls to his knees, even now rejecting the heresy of magic. Yet Schierke doesn’t berate him as she told Guts she wanted to. Rather, she calmly explains that the spirits she’s summoned are, in fact, the four guardian angels of the Holy See’s doctrine. As the little witch explains:

Whatever different words you use to express them, the sun is the sun, and light is light. The mantras chanted may differ, but are not souls in want of salvation all the same? To divide and oppress people because of those differences is folly. God’s name belongs only to God. It is not for man to conduct.

This is the moment where I began to love Schierke my first time reading Berserk. Young as she is, she’s still wise and kind. When faced with those who reject her for what she is, she doesn’t fight back, but instead tries to close the gap between them with empathy and understanding. She chooses to teach rather than to fight. It’s a beautiful scene that cements the little witch as one of my favorite characters in the manga.

But it isn’t over yet. While the trolls can no longer get through, something far larger and more dangerous comes stomping along to try its hand at it. An ogre. While it can’t pass through the barrier, it can still hurl massive projectiles at blinding speed to annihilate the church from a distance. Even with Schierke’s magic protecting them, the fight is still far from over.

Unlike this article. I’d love to keep on going and cover the entire mini-arc here, but I think we’ve gone on long enough for today, don’t you?

These five chapters are absolutely fantastic! They’re all full to the brim with incredible character moments, beautiful artwork, phenomenal dialogue, exciting action scenes, and everything else you could want from a fantasy manga! You can really see Falcon of the Millenium Empire picking up momentum here!

You wanna know something funny? Much as I like this section, I consider it to be the weakest part of the FotME arc. Not because of any fault in it, but simply because the bar is going to get so, so much higher from here on out!

Particularly when we reach the end of volume 26. If you know, you know. If not… well, we’ll get there soon enough.

Until next time, fellow Strugglers.