Berserk

By Josh Jacuez 

I thought I would start this year off with blood and Guts, and no, that is not a typo. The main character in director Toshiyuki Kubooka and writer Ichirō Ōkouchi’s movie trilogy remake of the manga entitled Beruseruku or Berserk is named Guts. And for good reason too – carrying a sword of massive size, Guts slices through monster and man alike with ease, with the amount of gore and sexual violence not for the faint of heart. He soon joins up with “Band of the Hawk” a mercenary group lead by the mysterious Griffith. Moreover, while I think there are underlying sexual tensions between the two men, Guts becomes romantically involved with Casca, the group’s unit commander and only female member. Things go well for the group, with them ending a war and being promoted to ordained knights. Then, literally all hell breaks loose and the story gets dark. With brutal fights and an ever-twisting storyline, the series makes for a great watch, and is continued in the TV series. Masterfully written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. All three movies can be watched dubbed or with subtitles on Netflix, and the TV series can be watched dubbed or with subtitles on Crunchyroll.