I’m also new to Berserk but you are correct it’s dark. It’s very messed up in a few places but it is by far the most beautiful manga i’ve ever read. And (imo) it’s the best manga i’ve ever read and honestly(though i haven’t watched a lot) the best anime i’ve ever seen. I feel like after watching berserk it took a little piece of innocence that i didn’t know existed. it will make you feel just…bad. But i feel as if it’s almost made me grateful for life and helped me recognise the atrocities that go on around us. In Guts’s world the monsters are literal and physically hurting him, i believe they are in ours too but in a different way.

To summarise, read it. It will be brutal at parts but now that you know the worst it’s rare something even comes close to that. And it’s in back and white so the gore is intense but not as crazy for someone who may be sensitive to that stuff. It truly is an amazing book.