Berserk #14 - Kentaro Miura (and thoughts up to this point)

I vowed I would finish this up today, and I kept my word!

Casca's memories are restored, but she's not ready to be close to Guts. It's heartbreaking for me. After everything I've gone through! Does no one care how I feel?!

Griffith is still spreading his Griffithness all over the place and making his kingdom larger.

Okay, so it's clear this was not meant to be the end. I know the author passed away before he was able to finish it, and his friends debated whether or not to continue the story with their knowledge of the author's intentions. From what I'm seeing, they're pushing forward, carefully stepping only where they know the author wanted the story to go.

Theoretically, I'd be all for keeping my tomes the same, but this is going to be an exception. These deluxe volumes are really nice, but so far there's only two of the newer volumes and only one in English. The deluxe versions I currently have include three volumes, so it would be quite some time before a deluxe would exist, and I am just not willing to wait around that long.

The things that really stood out to me with this manga are the characters. Guts especially. He started out with nothing and no one. He really gathered quite the little family around him as time went by. And I was rooting for Casca for so long, I thought I would end up throwing one of these tomes across the room. Another thing that really struck me was the art. Some of the full page panels I would just sit and stare at and wonder how long it took to create. I'd see little fine details that had to take forever to draw in, and I'm sure I missed a lot more.

There was also a lot of gore and moments I probably blushed over, but they didn't bother me. Some of the monsters were really creative, and I actually liked the character design of a couple of the monsters. I also won't claim I understood all the panels, especially during fights.

This manga has been a really interesting ride. I didn't like where it ended, and I appreciate what I read about the friends of the author trying to stay true to the intended story. I've ordered volume 42, the newest and first episode of the new guard. I really want to know what happens next. Great Manga!