I loved the animated series too, but i had to get into the manga if i was ever going to know what happens afterwards!
Now don’t get me wrong. There is still some merit in it and it might actually be to your liking if you tried reading it. Just be aware that once it hits the Retribution arc, the pacing stays pretty much the same, so if you’re unhappy with it at that point, you should probably give up.
But the manga does drag… it’s still fun to read.
and yes… there is alot of gay people. but Guts/Gatts shows his manliness when he does Caska.
Even Griffith shows he’s straight by…. hm. you know what. screw Griffith. He’s a queer.