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If there is one manga that is almost impossible to recommend to new readers, it is Berserk. Kentaro Miura’s iconic work has a special place in my heart for being the most beautifully drawn and emotionally devastating comic I’ve ever read and I’m still working my way through it. After five years and over two dozen volumes, I’m in no hurry to finish.

For me, Berserk is the ultimate anti-binge media. It is not designed to be blasted through in a couple of weeks. Though its 300-plus chapters pale in comparison to One Piece or Naruto, Berserk simply doesn’t lend itself to being read at the same pace. The art is too good to rush past, for starters, but the story itself is something that needs time to simmer in my mind and soul.

It is no secret that Miura was among the greatest comic book artists of all time. I would put him at the top of the list simply for how detailed he managed to make every suit of armor and weapon and how grotesque the monster designs are. From the Golden Age arc onward, every chapter has that one image; you know the one. That two-page spread that you can spend ten minutes looking at and still find new details to marvel at. 

Miura brought a keen understanding of medieval armor and weapons and married it to his almost supernatural ability to make things look so bloody cool that makes it impossible for me to rush through any chapter. Every rivet in a suit of armor can be seen, making it feel like it doesn’t just exist on the page but has been properly engineered to exist in that world. The things that man created with a pen defy logic and that is a big reason why I’ve taken so long to read through the story so far.

Then there is the sweet suffering at the heart of Guts’ story. I mentioned that Berserk is the greatest manga I simply can’t recommend to new readers, despite my deep admiration for it and the artwork on its pages. Trauma of every kind is in the DNA of Berserk; sexual, physical, and emotional assault are at the core of what makes the story so compelling. Pain – and the difficult process of overcoming it – is the point sometimes, which makes the manga worthwhile but also makes it almost impossible for me to read more than a few volumes a year.

I am, despite my hard candy-coated shell, a sensitive soul. While I love the way Kentaro Miura deals with the horrific events of Berserk – they always serve a purpose and build on the manga’s themes – I just can’t read them over and over again in rapid succession. I need frequent breaks where I can not only digest what has happened but also inject a little lightness into my heart. Spending too much time in the dark places Berserk goes isn’t good for me, which is why I can’t read it too rapidly.

Similar to how I am cutting back on how much anime I watch this year, I want to give Berserk a chance to simmer in my mind and percolate in my soul. More than any other manga I have read, it cries out for a slow pace. Savor it like a good whiskey; embrace the burn as it washes over you and the sweet melancholy that follows. Berserk needs time to allow myself to settle upon the hope buried within. Even with all their pain, Guts and Casca find a way to move forward. As dark as their world is, they find a way to endure.

I’ll finish it eventually, of course, but there is no rush. I’m convinced that reading Berserk at a slow pace, where I can allow myself to take in the gloriously detailed artwork and process the horrific events of the story in a safe way. As much as I love it, I don’t think I could read it any faster even if I wanted to. I need time to properly enjoy each page and time between each volume to allow myself to feel it on a deeper level.

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