Berserk - Reviews

So simple so yet so complicated and strange. For me Berserk is just Gutz and he fight against everything and anything. Gutz has been fighting hes entire life but still tries to change and go through with life though everything is against him and he just don't care he just strikes everything down with his sword. Berserk also shows how our lives we have lived made us and shape our destiny, like griffits and cascas charachter growth.

Berserk is a series that I find rather hard to rate, as it features obvious drawbacks in almost every aspect and yet obtains the level of greatness few anime reach. However, I'll do my best to balance the main vices & virtues without giving out too much of the plot.

STORY
The story comprises both strong positives and visible negatives. Let's start with the former:
- the show takes place in a realistic medieval european-like setting, following a group of mercenaries as they rise to the top through bloody battles and political intrigues. An exciting premise, isn't it? And if you consider how sinister and cruel the world of Berserk is, it makes the story a dark medieval saga, which is not only serious by definition but also very, very rare for anime - in fact, Berserk has been unsurpassed in the medieval dark fantasy genre for decades despite its age & imperfections;
- the other great positives are the story's themes, like friendship, fate and following one's dreams and ambitions. Unlike the previous aspect, those topics aren't unique as they are covered in many other series; however, here they're presented in such an impressive and mature way that it could rival Shakespeare's tragedies and even make you reflect upon your own life;
- finally, the show spares no effort to incorporate new twists into the plotline and never gives you any sense of security about the events on the screen and the characters' fate. In the end, it turns out easily one of the most thrilling, dramatic and emotionally involving anime I've ever watched.
The negatives are:
- terrible lack of realism when it comes to battles & tactics (e.g. capturing castles with cavalry without any siege weapons);
- an out of place 1st episode, which is actually the last chronologically; and an abrupt ending, which is not only one of the most shocking things I ever saw in anime, but also an enormous cliffhanger that instantly turns the whole series into a teaser for the manga. So, you'll have to read it to learn what happens later.
While the first two drawbacks are very much excusable, the third is certainly the biggest problem with the show. Alas, Berserk tells an exciting and thought-provoking story that lacks a conclusive ending it deserves.

ANIMATION
The most contradictory of all aspects. As you might already know, the Berserk manga this show is based upon is universally considered to be a true work of art, and the anime actually shows that, yet it has visible quality issues that spoil the overall impression. Generally speaking, the art is really beautiful (landscapes, backgrounds, character designs, freeze frame shots), but the animation gets awfully sloppy from time to time, especially when showing fights and horse riding. This problem of sloppiness has little to do with age. More likely, it's about low animation budget - a situation which is fully understandable, yet this knowledge doesn't contribute much to the viewing experience.
In general, I would say that while the show doesn't look bad as a whole, the animation hasn't released its full potential due to flawed execution.

SOUND
A mixed bag again. The soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa is mostly electronic music that suits the show surprisingly well. There are 4 tracks I would like to point out: "Forces", which is an excellent battle theme, and 3 others, that are very atmospheric and plainly breathtaking: "Guts", "Behelit" and "Earth".
However, the opening and ending songs are just stylistically unfitting for this kind of series, while the other tracks are fitting but not really memorable. Does an OST with 4 excellent tracks deserve an excellent rank? Well, that's a tough question. Normally, I'd probably say no, but those four melodies are so captivating that I'll make an exception this time.

CHARACTERS
No doubt, the strongest part of the show. Even though the series focuses on the three main characters at the cost of the supporting cast most of the time, it doesn't become any significant problem because their personalities, development and relationships with one another are pictured extremely well, making them very easy to relate to and charismatic to the point of cult: for example, Guts, the protagonist of this series, is often considered to be the manliest anime character in history, and indeed, there is some very solid ground underneath that statement. Perhaps, the only things I don't like about the leading trio are their names: they sound a little ridiculous at first, but you get used to them after a while. In the end, regardless of your opinion on the characters and their actions you will surely find a lot to think about.

OVERALL
Despite the aforementioned drawbacks, I consider Berserk one of the best series I've ever watched, because very few anime impressed me both on intellectual and emotional level as much as this show. However, I strongly recommend newcomers to start viewing from the second episode.
As for the ending, you have two options. If you are not into dark fantasy, horror, gore, rape and extreme drama, it may be for your own good not to watch it. In that case, I suggest you should stop at episode 19 as it can provide a different yet logical ending. 
However, if you decide to watch it, you are in for some serious shock, and you will inevitably end up reading the manga after finishing the series. So, get ready for that.

Why would anyone do this to such an anime? WHY!!??!?!

Berserk was one of the best anime's i have seen. It would have probably taken third place in my top 10, but that was untill the ending.

The ending of this anime is so horribly bad, it doesn't make any FUCKING sense anymore. and not in a way that I can't accept it, such as everybody would die by the army, No this anime's ending is so freaking weird, If you have seen Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, I'd say you could kind of compare the ending's level of weirdness to eachother.

The strange thing about that? Mahou shoujo was from the beginning very strange, Berserk Is about a guy who is fighting his way to the top, If you have read the anime description you should get a vague idea what it's about.

At episode 1 Guts is fighting a huge demonic monster, after that the anime suddenly transforms into what the description says. Is that related at all? NO. is the ending of berserk related to the rest of the series? NO.

Sound and animation: awesome, both have been done very well and I can't really complain about anything.

In short: This was one hell of an awesome series to watch, Though unless you are up for some reaaaally weird stuff, You're going to be dissapointed with the ending

It really is one my favorite anime!The Story,the characters,the character development,the music...everything are great.I truly believe that Berserk is a must watch anime for every anime fan!!This is how the story goes.It actually starts with a time skip,so the first episode may confuse a little but....hang on...you gotta see the next episode and understand what happens.Guts..who is the main character of the series,is a young teen(at the beginning at least) who is actually a really strong swordsman!We dont know many for his past yet,but in the next episodes we will find out why he is not such a.....happy character.He meets a man called Griffith the "White Hawk" who is the leader of the band of hawks and from that moment on,Guts' life changes.He becomes a member of the band and fights for Griffith's cause...Many battles happen throughout the series...Death and blood are the things that you are gonna see in this anime...but also...the great story writing of one of the best manga creators  Kentaro Miura!Now....go and  watch it!

I credit this anime for making me love anime.  I had gotten very good at predicting what would happen next in everything i watch but, with this show nothing turn out the way i thought it would. I've been hooked on anime ever since.  I only gave it a 9.5 rating because i believe nothing is perfect.