Essay on The War Manga Berserk by Kentaro Miura

The War manga Berserk by Kentaro Miura is a highly acclaimed piece of art that has changed my way of thinking and made me challenge my own preconceived view on the point of struggle in life.

When reading this war manga, it entertained me, but more importantly, taught me some valuable lessons. But by far the lesson that stuck out to me most in this story was the necessity for struggle in one’s life. Being born in a nice middle-class family in the U.S.A where I am free to do as I please, I barely know what actual struggle really is, and when I was presented with what could be called “struggle” I would shy away from it or complain about it and move on to what I wanted to do even though I knew it was good for me (video games). Now I have learned this lesson, and I have been trying to follow what I have learned since then. 

It was made evident to me when reading Berserk that my struggles were nothing compared to the struggles of the main character Guts' faces (which is expected due to it being fictional).  Guts’ struggle can only be described as heroic, being born into a life as a mercenary at a young age to fend for himself in a seemingly never-ending war.  From Guts’ courageous struggle I learned that whatever doesn’t kill me will only make me stronger, and discipline I can get wherever I want in life.

Another character that taught me about what struggle is in Berserk was Griffith who’s determination to become king was like no others and was willing to sacrifice anything to obtain that dream. He had made up his mind from a young age exclaiming that “ Dreams breathe life into men and can cage them in suffering”  and through the sacrifices of the men in his mercenary group who fought for his cause, his dream was at the grasp of his hands. Griffith had taught me that even when you are so close to achieving your goal it could be taken from you within a blink of an eye. It showed me that life is not fair, especially in war, so I must be able to push through the endless struggle that is life and be able to enjoy everything that has been given to me while I still can. 

 In America, where freedom of choice has been a staple in innovation, teenagers now face a new challenge nowadays of lacking the motivation and purpose in life due to them having an “easy life”, and Berserk has opened my eyes to see that struggle is necessary for you to become the best version of you.