Berserk.
It's not just a story...it's a journey down the most terrifying and saddening crevice of the human mind, kindled only by the small gleam of hope brought about by the protagonist's companions, and his unwavering devotion to the person he cares about most. Not just a masterfully-woven narrative that snowballs the characters' misfortune and pits them in a situation of no hope, but exposes the truth of how far the worst of humanity can fall...and how hard the best of humanity can suffer.
What results is a turn in the conflict around the story's middle that was so heart-wrenching, so powerful, so devoid of hope or happiness, repeatingly plunging its relentless tip into the punctured heart of the reader...for the first time, a piece of fiction actually made me sit back and contemplate what I had just read.
This was and is the ONLY time I've ever wept over a piece of fiction. I remember that only moments after I had read it, I actually didn't talk to any of my family or friends for a week. I was shaken for such a long period of time...
...and then, a friend told me that the series hadn't ended yet, and I breathed the biggest sigh of relief that my capsized lungs have ever beheld.
Berserk does that to you.
