Mar. 3, 2018

Upon finishing the 1990’s anime adaptation of the manga series, Berserk, by Kentaro Miura, the immediate shock from the sheer power of the entire series. There are very few anime that encapsulate the unique nature of Berserk. From its medieval European setting to it’s strong character development, it is indeed a sight to behold. The 90’s adaptation went on for an entire year, 1997-1998, with only 25 episodes and has continued with the most recent 2016 and 2017 adaptations.

The plot follows a man named Guts, or the Black Swordsman, a wandering mercenary with a haunting past of violence and abuse. Since a young age, this is all he has ever known. He was born from the hung corpse of his mother and taken into care by a bandit leader named, Gambino. From here he learns to fight and kill but also sustain mental and physical abuse from not only Gambino but the other bandits as well..

The story of Berserk is the strongest element of the anime. A tale of revenge, friendship, brutality, and betrayal all set in a medieval European world. Because of this, the anime could definitely be viewed as something akin to Game of Thrones. It definitely was something very different from the anime coming out at the time.

The development of the characters is another factor that contributes to it’s successful formula for telling a great story. How Guts, who begins as a lone wandering swordsman, soon becomes a member of a bandit group known as The Band of The Hawk, led by the cunning, sociopathic Griffith. The relationship between these two characters is a primary focus of the anime and how they grow throughout the story is very compelling to watch. Guts, a lone wanderer intent on proving to himself that he is strong despite being molested and abused at such a young age, and Griffith’s desire to become king of the land of Midland regardless of how many people he uses to get there. The audience will soon realize that Guts is the only person that can stifle Griffith’s ambition. This adds to the compelling and complex nature of the story line.

One particular thing to note is the shows use of both graphic violence and sexual content. For any who consider watching this but find these kinds of themes disturbing, it is advised that discretion is used. This is not a series for the faint of heart but the violence never feels very gratuitous, except for the fact that the main character swings a giant sword around, cleaving through his enemies left and right. With this in mind, the violence still adds to the dark nature of the story which is the a major essence of the show.