Review: Berserk (TV)

Running time: 24 minutes
Number of episodes: 25
Vintage: 1997-10-07 to 1998-03-31
Age rating: Mature (May contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence)
Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
Animation: Oriental Light and Magic
Broadcaster: NTV
Production: Oriental Light and Magic, VAP

Source: Anime News Network

Berserk has a fitting name because it has some crazy characters that just dedicate themselves to killing men in battle. The first episode starts off with a bad-ass swordsman who wields a giant sword. Things get out of control and before you know it you’ll be watching him take out enemies with superb skill. Once you get to the second episode everything changes drastically and you’ll be introduced to this man’s past life and how he got to where he was in the first episode. The show continues telling the past story up until the very end where the big twist is fleshed out.

The swordsman in question is Guts, a badass by nature with the skill and trade of killing men with his sword. His life was burdened by hardships and chaos so he was forced into becoming stronger to survive. He makes a name for himself by defeating countless enemies on the battlefield regardless of the disadvantages he may face.

One day he finds himself in a dangerous situation when a group of men try to kill him and steal the money he had just received as payment for his services as a mercenary. Little did they know they would not be able to take him on. However, the group’s leader, Griffith, defends his men and ends up wounding Guts. He finds Guts’ fighting skill to be useful so he takes him into his custody. The group that Guts encountered is known across the kingdom has the Band of the Hawk. Griffith, leader of the Hawks, impressed by Guts’ talent in combat makes him join his mercenary army after a fierce one on one battle. Guts becomes a comrade and little by little eases his way into the trust of everyone in the group.

Within the Band of the Hawks the members learn to strive together in the hardships of battle. Every victory is pieced together by everyone, but of course the participation of Guts, Caska, Griffith, and a few other high ranking members is crucial. For these men — and woman — who are destined to be low lives with not much of a future, being led by Griffith towards a much greater goal is a gratifying experience. They live and breathe battle because it is their nature, but they are content to fight for the will of their leader.

Griffith is a man that seems to glow with omnipotent power while performing his actions. He is overwhelmed by a desire to obtain it all, henceforth he wants his own kingdom. From the depths of the commoner’s world he wishes to rise up to the peak of success and he is willing to do anything and everything he can to fulfill his dream. Guts, his partner and good friend, is a large part of realizing that obsession and he is able to continue and reach higher and higher because of the support of his subordinates.

Guts has a very striking attribute which is his huge sword, a key aspect of what makes him a badass character. If you’re like me you might be reminded of Cloud’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII or Sanosuke’s Zanbatou from Rurouni Kenshin. His sword isn’t as thick as the Buster Sword or the Zanbatou, but it’s still very long and heavy. It ties in well with the skills and finesse of the characters which are a little on the realistic side, although stamina and endurance are grossly exaggerated. Much like other medieval stories, a one hit strike is all it takes to down your opponent. There’s nothing but the speed, strength, and angle of an attack with no exaggerated skill-sets. I’m not disappointed by this type of combat, but some of you may want a bit more names to remember for each attack.

When I consider everything, Berserk does a good job of delivering powerful thought-provoking revelations from the characters. The key characters are driven by personal desires while interacting with each other solely based on those desires. In addition, the battles and tactics in Berserk are fun to watch, but they are not quite as exciting as scenes in more modern anime. However, for such an old show I must applaud the overall effort.

The end of the anime is a huge twist from the rest of the show. It ties into the first episode which you won’t understand when you watch it the first time, but after watching the end you can rewatch the first episode and you’ll understand what’s going on. A little investigation revealed that Berserk was planned as a 26 episode anime, but financial trouble cut it to 25 which is too bad.

Berserk doesn’t win me over for any specific creative aspects, but it’s a good overall combination of violence, romance, and typical tough guy shounen drama. If you watch it and you’re interested in the story you’ll need to find the manga to get the rest of it because the anime cuts off right at a huge turning point. The way it ends is effective enough to stand on its own as a dark event with little to no hope, but I can’t help but feel cheated. It’s still a good adventure show though, and deserves to be watched.

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