Wanting to get into Berserk

[Relish in Chaos]

OK, so I've been wanting to get into the manga series Berserk for a while now. I read some pages on Manga Fox, but it didn't quite feel right to me because it was an online scanslation and I didn't feel like I wasn't getting the proper experience (i.e. I want the book in hand for myself). But I looked on Amazon to see if I could buy Dark Horse Comics' licensed translation of the volumes, but they seem really damn expensive. Like, used copies of Berserk volume 1 is upwards of £20, while new copies are over £90. And this is in paperback too.

So what should I do? My mum says she'll buy me a present next month, and I need something to hold me over for the next couple of weeks, since I've finished my exams for the summer but only have Work Experience organised for one week in August (at Waterstones, so I might get a staff discount, but I don't know yet).

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

If you haven't seen it, try watching the anime to hold you over for a week or two.

 

[Casual Shinji]

New copies are 90 pounds, seriously?!

Maybe my understanding of currencies isn't that great, but every copy of this manga that I bought (22 up till now) has been 12 euro at most from the comicbook store.

Well, whatever you choose to hold you over, don't wath the new movies. They're a fucking empty shell of the story, and are filled with the most obnoxious amount of CGI you can imagine.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

New copies are 90 pounds, seriously?!

Maybe my understanding of currencies isn't that great, but every copy of this manga that I bought (22 up till now) has been 12 euro at most from the comicbook store.

Well, whatever you choose to hold you over, don't wath the new movies. They're a fucking empty shell of the story, and are filled with the most obnoxious amount of CGI you can imagine.

Yep, no shitting. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berserk-Vol-1-Black-Swordsman/dp/1593070209/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372885528&sr=1-2&keywords=Berserk

And, well, I've decided that I was going to buy another manga series I'd been wanting to check out that Dark Horse Comics had published in English: Hellsing. For Berserk, the manga will have to wait for another time, but do you think watching the original 25-episode anime would be a better option, because the movies are bad (in your opinion)?

 

[Little Woodsman]

New copies are 90 pounds, seriously?!

Maybe my understanding of currencies isn't that great, but every copy of this manga that I bought (22 up till now) has been 12 euro at most from the comicbook store.

Well, whatever you choose to hold you over, don't wath the new movies. They're a fucking empty shell of the story, and are filled with the most obnoxious amount of CGI you can imagine.

Yep, no shitting. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berserk-Vol-1-Black-Swordsman/dp/1593070209/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372885528&sr=1-2&keywords=Berserk

And, well, I've decided that I was going to buy another manga series I'd been wanting to check out that Dark Horse Comics had published in English: Hellsing. For Berserk, the manga will have to wait for another time, but do you think watching the original 25-episode anime would be a better option, because the movies are bad (in your opinion)?

I never buy anime or manga from checking just one website.
I always check at least

Amazon
Rightstuff (note the spelling, two of the letter 'f')
and
Overstock

Don't want to get in trouble for advertising another site here, but one of those had the paperback for
less than $12 american. International shipping might cost you a limb though.
Sometimes Amazon has the best price. Sometimes one of the others does. I always check at least those three.

You could also see if your local library has it, around here there's a surprising amount of Manga available
in the libraries.

 

[Casual Shinji]

New copies are 90 pounds, seriously?!

Maybe my understanding of currencies isn't that great, but every copy of this manga that I bought (22 up till now) has been 12 euro at most from the comicbook store.

Well, whatever you choose to hold you over, don't wath the new movies. They're a fucking empty shell of the story, and are filled with the most obnoxious amount of CGI you can imagine.

Yep, no shitting. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berserk-Vol-1-Black-Swordsman/dp/1593070209/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372885528&sr=1-2&keywords=Berserk

And, well, I've decided that I was going to buy another manga series I'd been wanting to check out that Dark Horse Comics had published in English: Hellsing. For Berserk, the manga will have to wait for another time, but do you think watching the original 25-episode anime would be a better option, because the movies are bad (in your opinion)?

I never saw much of the original anime, because the first few episodes turned me off due to how cheap the animation looked. But at least the medieval setting comes across better in the 90's series than in the new movies, which look so sterile you can almost taste the chlorine. They also skip over extremely important character moments.

Don't know how much the original anime series cut or censored, but it's well know that it abruptly ends at the most pivotal and shocking moment in the story, and then tells you to just go read the manga. And trust me, this is one moment you don't want to be left hanging.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Right, fuck it, I'm just going to read the manga online.

 

[Galletea]

OK, so I've been wanting to get into the manga series Berserk for a while now. I read some pages on Manga Fox, but it didn't quite feel right to me because it was an online scanslation and I didn't feel like I wasn't getting the proper experience (i.e. I want the book in hand for myself). But I looked on Amazon to see if I could buy Dark Horse Comics' licensed translation of the volumes, but they seem really damn expensive. Like, used copies of Berserk volume 1 is upwards of £20, while new copies are over £90. And this is in paperback too.

So what should I do? My mum says she'll buy me a present next month, and I need something to hold me over for the next couple of weeks, since I've finished my exams for the summer but only have Work Experience organised for one week in August (at Waterstones, so I might get a staff discount, but I don't know yet).

Amazon isn't always cheapest. Berserk is one of the more expensive manga, being a dark horse title. However you put your price in pounds so I assume this is a UK request, so try Forbidden planet, I don't think Warerstones stock Dark Horse manga.
It is not always available so make a point of looking for it fairly regularly but at the mo they're about £8-9 You might want to read the first few online and then get the rest. I know they have no8

 

[StormShaun]

Seeing that the OP's issue is finished. (I think)
I have a question of my own.

I just finished some other dark series and I wanted to watch Berserk.
Though I have no idea whether to choose the anime or the movies, which my is better my mighty Escapist Brethren?!

 

[StormShaun]

I only watched the first movie, and it's pretty mediocre compared to the anime. I hated the animation of the movies.

Doing further research also gathered some reviews like that about the movies.
With your opinion I shall dive into the anime instead.

Thanks for saving me from starting this series at the wrong point.
Now time to see some guts (And possibly glory ... I just made a double pun, neat).

 

[sextus the crazy]

Seeing that the OP's issue is finished. (I think)
I have a question of my own.

I just finished some other dark series and I wanted to watch Berserk.
Though I have no idea whether to choose the anime or the movies, which my is better my mighty Escapist Brethren?!

The animation from the original series is pretty crappy. Sure, it's hand-drawn, but there's a lack of real animation in the non-combat scenes (and even those have some lazy animation in them). Also, the Dub VA is pretty bleh, although still entertaining (and Griffith's VA is pretty good). Also, the Dub outtakes are fucking hilarious. Still, it's a faithful adaptation of the Golden age Arc and is a good watch if you're willing to ignore dated VA and animation.

Haven't watched the movies myself, but from what I've seen they're alright, but not great. The overuse of CGI is said to be atrocious.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

By the way, just to let you guys know, I ended up watching the original 25-episode anime series anyway (in Japanese, with subtitles), and I loved it. Now I'm reading the rest of the manga online.

 

[niknar266]

Guess I'm a bit too late but I used a site called anime-on-line that is uk based and they've got volumes at £9 each if you're interested. I actually got the berserk anime a month or so ago from them too for a £10 in a weekly deal. Hope I don't get a warning for this sounds like I'm advertising the site a bit much, anime retail is crap in the UK though so it's always good to know other retailers for it.

I hope you enjoy the series, it was my first properly dark series it's truly disturbing to read it at some points. Wait til get up to the latest chapter and realise how bad the long hiatus' are for new chapters. The series is as old as I am and it's only half way done apparently.

 

[littlerob]

The Berserk anime series is really rather brilliant, easily one of my favourites. Some will moan that it ends right where you really don't want it to end, but I think that adds to its impact. It makes dramatic sense, from the medium of a dark fantasy video series.

 

[Darks63]

New copies are 90 pounds, seriously?!

Maybe my understanding of currencies isn't that great, but every copy of this manga that I bought (22 up till now) has been 12 euro at most from the comic book store.

Well, whatever you choose to hold you over, don't watch the new movies. They're a fucking empty shell of the story, and are filled with the most obnoxious amount of CGI you can imagine.

Its because its out of print when that happens new copies cost a ton on amazon. I remember them wanting 100 bucks for the Autumn books on amazon before they went into reprints at which point the same sellers dropped the books back down to normal prices.


To OP: Hey man cool read it online just be warned that the story really starts to drag at points and it still not finished even now.

 

[Lillith Rael]

Hey, don't mean to zombie-raise this thread but thought some of you guys might like to know there's news that Dark Horse is reprinting the out of stock Berserk volumes. Rightstuf.com is accepting preorders now and says stock should be arriving late October. It's probably safe to say those Amazon prices will be dropping as well, once the reprints hit the market.

Rightstuf's announcement and promo sale can be found here: http://www.rightstuf.com/rssite/main/news/individual/?ForumThreadName=FT0000005631