Berserk

I am not by any means a huge anime fan, and have only finished a few series before this one (Bebop, Eva, Trigun, Hellsing). However, Berserk changed my entire attitude towards animation. Brilliantly written, insanely intriguing character development, and while some say the ending is too abrupt, I believe that it was one of the most powerful and poignant finishes to a series i've seen. Very few series actually leave the viewer wishing they could find a way to see the next season, and Berserk does so brilliantly. However, this is not for the faint of heart, I would definitely not advise this for children under 13, since it contains graphic everything. Can't find any faults except there is no season after this one, and would suggest it to anyone trying to discover new anime.

Berserk is by far the best anime that I have ever seen. Nothing even comes close to capturing the interest of the viewer and holding it tightly throughout the ten hour duration of this masterpiece. Firstly, I must admit that it has its flaws, such as a few points of lazy animation, as in some of the battle scenes, as well as the somewhat disappointing ending, which leaves the viewer thirsting for more without the promise of any follow-up. Yet the fact of the matter is, and I speak for myself, that the positive aspects of Berserk outweigh the bad so drastically one cant help but overlook them in terms of the entire film. The frequent sub-par visuals mean nothing in comparison to the amazing plot depth and beautiful character development marbled throughout the film.

In summary, Berserk is a ten hour mini-series that consists of 25 20+ minute episodes detailing the life of a rogue swordsman named Guts. Guts, in short, is simply the most intriguing fictional character ever constructed. Guts, first of all, is one of the finest examples of an individual driven entirely by self preservation and improvement. Throughout the series Guts grows stronger and more deadly before our eyes, with each thrust of his massive sword. The personal relationships that he develops over time, especially with Griffith and Caska, are totally believable and honest. In particular, the love/hate relationship that Guts has with Caska sucks the viewer into their world and with each episode end leaves you literally thirsting for more. I can honestly say that I had never so anxiously awaited a release as I did with each progressing volume.

The score, other than being entirely redundant, creates an additional emotional appeal that quite literally leaves a mark in your mind. The opening theme song, although an acquired taste, becomes somewhat of a necessity to mark the beginning of each additional episode that will bring you deeper into the world of Guts and the Band of the Hawk. In no time at all you find yourself singing along with it as if it were a top forty tune. The climactic theme played every 3 episodes or so, is absolutely haunting, leading one to wonder how it came to be included in an anime.

Berserk is a definite must-see for all fans of anime. For those who dislike anime or are indifferent to it, the mediocre visuals may tarnish your opinion of it, yet the rock solid plot and character depth with leave you amazed.

Rating: Animation Quality: 7/10 Character Development: 10/10 Plot Line: 10/10 Overall Enjoyment: 12/10 (If that's at all possible)

To the one who panned this series after watching an hour and a half of it: That's like watching the first 15 minutes of >insert title of any complicated, intelligent movie here< and dismissing it.

As for the music, it's not standard anime j-pop crap. It's not movie-score like music either. It's definitely not for everyone, as far as just listening to it goes (but I must say I've developed a liking for Susumu Hirasawa's work), but most of it fits quite well (although with the rampant re-use it's bound to not work sometimes), and some of it is great regardless what it's presented with. "Behelit," and "Forces" being the real stand-outs, both in terms of being listenable, AND in terms of reuse with varying degrees of appropriateness. The opening theme does suck though. No question. (In stark contrast to the end credits song, which, while also being an abomination of Engrish, sounds perfect.)

I used to be really into anime. I fell out of it a few years ago, and stopped giving a crap about almost all the anime I'd ever seen or heard of. But as all the chaff blew away, this was one of the few grains to remain. It's unforgettable, especially if you watch the whole series in order. It's unspeakably grim when viewed as a whole, but contains a growing optimism throughout most of the series.

There are only a tiny handful of animes which can stand beside Berserk in the quality of their storytelling. Hell, only a small portion of ANY fiction can be compared favorably to it. Berserk is not just good anime, it's good drama. If you like the fantasy genre in any format, you must see this show. If you like stories about people growing through hardship, you must see this show. If you like stories about unrelenting badasses, you must see this show. If you don't care about anything but eye candy, or you're an anime dork looking for wank-fuel, look elsewhere. Berserk may not have something for EVERYONE, but it has something for MOST people.

This is a good anime if you want to get introduced to the Berserk franchise and I know for sure it was my introduction because while I prefer the manga, I still love the anime quite a bit.

Both subbed and dubbed versions are pretty good though I am neutral on the subbed/dubbed debate personally. But the English dub did pick good voice actors and what captured me on the dubbed version was Marc Diraison voice performance as Guts.

This is a great anime of the one of the longest and still good manga out there written and drawn by the great Kentaro Miura! The anime did his manga a decent amount of justice at least.

Some of my favorite things to watch are stories that take you on more than a 2 hour simple journey and instead lead you on an epic tale. This is great in that aspect. The first episode left me thinking it would be only similar to all other anime I have watched - good, but nothing exstatic. However, from the second episode forward it only got better and better until an unbelievable climatic ending. I love the midievil aspect rather than the usual sci-fi, or goth (vampire) themes. The three main characters, Guts, Griffith, and Caska - are excellent, and by the time the series nears the end you really know each of these characters individually, meaning you can feel their pain and hopes. All around, this is a superb film, and I can only pray every day that they make a second series since this one ends making you crave for more - ends on a cliffhanger so to speak. I'd love to see Guts' further adventures and what would happen with his relationship with Griffith/Femmto.