The epic dark fantasy manga series continues in the shadow of the late manga creator

Berserk Volume 42 Honors Late Creator Kentaro Miura

The epic dark fantasy manga series continues in the shadow of the late manga creator

Illustrated by Studio Gaga under the supervision of Mori--who is an established manga creator--the 192-page volume continues the Fantasia Arc of Berserk. After Schierke and Farnese battled endless horrors to reach the dark secret that imprisoned Casca's mind since the events of the Invocation of Doom, things have taken a turn for the better. Casca has reclaimed her sanity and Guts has found a small sliver of hope, but the sudden appearance of Griffith overshadows that small victory. With Elf Island under siege from an army of beasts, Guts and his companions will have to make some hard choices if they seek to escape to the ocean.

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The story of Berserk's continuation is an interesting one, as prior to Miura's death, Mori was entrusted with plans and thoughts from the Berserk creator himself. With additional material like memorandums and character designs left behind by Miura--as well as the secret of how Miura intended to end Berserk--Mori agreed to continue the series and promised: "I will only write the episodes that Miura talked to me about. I will not flesh it out. I will not write episodes that I don't remember clearly. I will only write the lines and stories that Miura described to me."

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If you haven't read it yet, Berserk has been hailed as one of the greatest manga series of all time. A brutal tale of swords, demons, and defying destiny, it has often been cited as an influential work of art by people all over the globe. The best way to catch up on the series is through the deluxe editions of the manga, many of which are on sale now at Amazon at up to 40% off.

You can also check out the Berserk anime series, which exists in several formats. There's the original 1997 anime adaptation that takes several liberties with the source material, but is still considered to be a timeless classic. It recently got a new Blu-ray release that upgrades the anime to 1080p, and this version comes with both English and Japanese dubs alongside textless opening and ending credits.

The anime was later remade in the 2010s, and the Golden Age arc was also recently re-released on Blu-ray. This version received mixed reviews, as while the more-modern animation was praised, the CG sequences were criticized for looking very robotic. Still, this adaptation sticks closer to the manga and is worth checking out if you want a more faithful adaptation.