Saw this post and thought it was interesting:
First, let’s realize manga and anime are just mediums to tell a story, like film, comic panels, animation, claymation, radio drama, etc. Just because it’s in the manga or anime style doesn’t make the story good or bad. Comics and mangas have been used to tell the stories from old novels like Tarzan, Conan, and Of Mice and Men.
Berserk is more based on Beowulf and Pre-Christian tales from Scandinavia. Some of the finest stories you’ll find like Berserk aren’t in manga, but will require you to read books of translated lore, myth, religious beliefs and tales from Scandinavia and the ancient Germans and Dutch peoples (the Goths).
Beowulf is one like Berserk, but there’s also many more. Especially the religious lore surrounding Thor (the actual Thor, not the Marvel Thor).
Another great one is “Journey To The West”. I’d suggest you read the original, NOT the manga versions, because the mangas dumb it down and make it more PG and gushy, where the original is like one of the baddest ass, stomp-that-fool, choke-a-hoe, WHOAH that’s DEEP, kind of story you’ve ever read. Sun Wu Kong is NOOOBODY to mess around with, he doesn’t play. AND he’s a monkey. A BIG monkey. The mangas try to show him as a human, but he’s always just a huge macaque, and doesn’t care if you feel some type of way. He was born a monkey, is king of the monkeys, LITERALLY has harems of monkey females, and will tell you to kiss his ass. Literally. That’s why the original story will blow your mind, especially when you realize the year it was written.
Bram Stoker’s original books are amazing. I warn you, once you read them, you’ll think the movies and animes are too soft and stupid. Dumbed down. Dracula gives no f**ks, and the Lair of the White Worm??? Oooohhhhhh, sweet mercy Maybelline….
Berserk draws on the hardness and heavy of these stories, which you should read. Especially the lore of Herculres with all the debauched sex, homosexuality, ass-beating, action hero type insanity, and the jacked up twist ending you never see coming.
That's kind of true, but kind of gay as well. He makes journey to the west seem way more cool than it is. A lot of the story is about kowtowing to buddhist fucks. Monkey beats asses, but he mostly does it so Sensei Tripitaka will notice him. Pigsy and Sandy are the straight men to whatever Monkey is doing. It's not as good as you think it will be.
Beowulf is fucking great though.
I need to read Stoker again to decide if he's a hackfraud or not. He certainly packaged an old idea in a compelling way.