Berserk Manga Review: Companions

How can these chapters be so disturbing yet so horny at the exact same time?

Last time on Berserk: Guts, Isidro, Schierke, and the elves set out to rescue Farnese and Casca from the trolls’ domain. They descend into the depths of Qliphoth, a realm of horrors beyond human comprehension. Farnese protected Casca from the trolls, finding her courage and her will to face retribution for her past crimes. The rescue went off without a hitch, with Guts staying behind to hold off the troll hordes and let his companions escape. But something far more sinister is approaching our protagonist, growing in the pool of blood.

Today, we’re covering the following chapters:

• Vicinity of the Netherworld
• Whore Princess of the Uterine Sea
• Companions
• Claw Marks

Guts’ brand bleeds with a familiar pain. In his pouch, the Behelit’s distorted features begin to properly align, the little stone beginning to stir from its deep slumber. Meanwhile, both Casca and Schierke are struck by the growing presence, leaving the former clutching her breast in pain and the ladder screaming in terror. A stunned Guts can only watch as the blood and guts of the slaughtered trolls coalesce, taking an all too familiar form.

Slan. Whore Princess of the Uterine Sea, and member of the God Hand.

Without hesitation, Guts charges in for the kill. But his Brand explodes with pain, bringing the Black Swordsman to his knees. Slan embraces Guts, welcoming him to her domain, urging him to give in to his violent emotions. She strips him of his armor, slicing into his flesh and bleeding him like a pig. As she tries to seduce him, the Behelit trembles, and she urges him to use it, to become a monster and… how do I put this… satisfy her cravings.

Before Guts succumbs to her torture feminine wiles, our favorite skeleton Skull Knight arrives to save the day. Slan, being ridiculously down bad, licks her lips and invites him to join them. Skull Knight, ignoring her seductions, asks if she’s the only member of the God Hand to manifest. She explains that the others are floating formlessly in their own domains, waiting for Griffith to close the gap between worlds and let them through completely. With her exposition delivered, she summons a horde of ogres to attack.

Meanwhile, Schierke is searching for another Spirit to destroy more trolls. Diving deep into the Astral World, she remembers her mistress’s warnings regarding spirits of Darkness. Peer into the dark and you’ll gain power. But the dark will peer back at you, too.

In case you didn’t already notice the Friedrich Nietzsche inspiration throughout the series, Miura went and quoted the man verbatim.

Returning to Skull Knight, bear witness as he slices through the hordes of trolls and ogres with ease. Skull Knight fights are rare, and as we see here, the few we get are incredible! The skeleton moves in a blur, swinging his sword in a whirl of death and carnage. Awesome as this display is, Slan is thoroughly unimpressed. For they’re all standing within the Uterus of Darkness (her words, not mine), where evil spirits take ethereal form; now matter how many the knight cuts down, more will rise to take their place.

But Skull Knight is equally unphased. For while he was busy cutting up monsters, Guts was waiting for his chance. Raising his prosthetic arm, the Black Swordsman opens fire directly into her gut.

Which only turns her on even more. To be fair, it’s proving quite the battle tactic. Sure, she’s losing, but at least she’s making her opponents extremely uncomfortable. Lose the battle, win the war, etc.

Back with the rest of the party, Schierke is still vulnerable while casting her spell, so it’s up to Isidro to protect her from the coming trolls. When the boy runs low on bombs and an armored troll steps forward, Isidro begins to sweat, his earlier doubts rising. Steeling his determination, he dives and rolls around his opponent, utilizing every lesson he’s learned to refine his fighting style. Plunging his burning dagger into the monster’s side, the troll goes up in flames, and Isidro stands victorious. An awesome and satisfying pay-off to his struggles throughout the arc.

In the Uterus of Darkness, a wounded Slan stands before Guts, grinning madly and begging him for more. With some encouragement from Skull Knight, Guts runs her through with the Dragon Slayer. Slan moans her pleasure, praising Guts as she kisses him and her physical form melting away.

That might be the most sexually charged manga fight I’ve ever read through. It would be a triumphant victory, if Slan wasn’t a) still alive and b) hadn’t gotten her rocks off on it.

Then all hell breaks loose, but let’s not worry about that for now.

Isidro’s victory is cut short as the trolls surround him. Fortunately for him, Schierke is done casting her spell, and she channels the power of the Rotting Root Lord to unleash devastating death magic. With his power, she wipes the trolls away, rotting their bodies away in a disturbing display of power.

With Slan’s coming and passing, Qliphoth is beginning to fall apart. Skull Knight considers this the perfect time to test his new God Hand destroying weapon: the Sword of Actuation, a blade formed from the melded Behelits he’s swallowed over the years. With one swing, he opens a portal to Hell, sucking the trolls and ogres into the abyss. Pulling Guts up onto his horse, Skull Knight opens another rift, and the two make their getaway.

Caught up with the rest of the party, an exhausted Guts turns to speak to Skull Knight. But to no one’s surprise, the skeleton has already disappeared without so much as a goodbye. Again.

Light returns to the forest, and Qliphoth disappears. With Farnese, Casca, and the villagers rescued, our party’s task is done. They return to Enoch Village triumphant, where an eager Serpico awaits them.

Guts watches his companions from a distance, laughing and hugging and being happy. He recalls his days in the Golden Age in the Band of the Hawk, with Casca, Judeau, Pippin, Rickert, Corcus, and even Griffith. As his new friends turn to look at him, Guts realizes that he’s come to cherish them every bit as much as he did the Hawks. Something he never thought could happen again.

This moment gets me every single time. For so long, Guts was an angry monster who pushed everyone away. The idea of opening up to others terrified him for fear of losing them as he did the Hawks. Puck basically stuck around just to spite him. Now, with the help of his bizarre new found family, the wounds in his heart left by Griffith are finally beginning to heal. It’s a beautiful moment that gets me misty eyed no matter how many times I re-read the series.

But Berserk is still Berserk. Did you really think we would end on a high note?

We rejoin Flora in her mansion as she works on an old relic: a suit of black armor. Skull Knight appears by her side, warning her of the danger this suit possesses. Flora shrugs off his concerns, believing the mysterious relic will be a necessary boon for Guts and the others on their journey. Though Skull Knight is still wary, Flora believes that the party are not bound to the same mistakes the two of them have made in their younger years.

Their reminiscing comes to an end when something breaches the barrier around the mansion. Not our heroes. Just the opposite. Skull Knight hops down to his horse, preparing to fight. Flora is confused by this; one way or another, she knows her end is upon her. But our favorite skeleton seeks to make his old friend’s passing as easy as he can. Thanking him, Flora laments that she won’t get the chance to see Schierke smile again before the end.

Speaking of whom, we rejoin Schierke and the others as they trek back towards the mansion. While everyone else is still riding high from their victory, the little witch is deep in contemplation. Even now, she wonders if her fate could really be tied to her bizarre new companions and not with her mistress.

Her thoughts are interrupted when Guts suddenly collapses. Examining him, Schierke determines that his injuries are not only in the flesh, but in his very soul. But Guts being Guts, he gets right back up and soldiers on like nothing is wrong.

Speaking via telepathy, Schierke asks Guts what happened back in the Qliphoth. Exhausted, Guts gives her a very brief summation of his confrontation with Slan, boasting that he drove away the fake angel with one stab of the Dragon Slayer. Stunned, Schierke realizes that the odd presence she’s sensed around his sword was a result of the countless spirits and monsters he’s slain, turning it into a weapon capable of striking even the God Hand. Once again, the little witch is left in wonder at the sheer tenacity of the Black Swordsman.

Awe soon turns to horror when a disturbance shakes the forest. Schierke notices with shock that the mansion’s barrier has disappeared. Both Guts and Casca feel their Brands ache, fresh blood flowing. Something else has come to Flora’s mansion. Something far worse than trolls.

The party rushes ahead to the mansion. Here, Schierke is stunned to find her teacher’s mansion, her childhood home, burning. The Spirit Mansion is under attack.

With that, we come to the end of today’s review.

These chapters were bonkers, dudes! A sudden appearance of a God Hand member, explosive growth for Isidro, and massive character development for Guts, all bundled with some awesome fight scenes and tantalizing lore developments! It’s a spectacular end to the Enoch Village mini-arc!

And now, we reach a critical turning point in Berserk. A moment I have been waiting to talk about from the very beginning. My absolute favorite part of the Falcon of the Millenium Empire arc.

I’ll see you all next week for the Battle of the Spirit Mansion.