Berserk

Synopsis:

A hulking mass of a man that wields an abnormally large sword named Guts that calls himself "The Black Knight" takes the audience into his estranged past through medieval times filled with fighting, bloodshed, pain, and why he has a personal vendetta against demons.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 25


Review:

Think of Berserk as one big flashback because, well... it is. It gives you a little taste of The Black Knight's current lifestyle in the first episode and then delves into his past for the remainder of the series. The thing is, within that one episode, Berserk manages to raise enough questions that you'll want to know the answers to. Who is The Black Knight? Where did he come from? Why the big-ass sword? What is he so pissed off about? What's with that necklace thing? What happened to his eye? And the list goes on and on. Luckily, Berserk manages take all those questions and answer them with one hell of a compelling medieval anime that will never lose your interest the entire time. Not only can it keep action fans occupied with epic sword-fights and massive amounts of bloodshed but it also combines that with some remarkable character depth. From the moment Guts hits the screen this anti-hero's presence alone makes this series worth watching but when allies such as Caska, Judeau, and the homoesque Griffith become part of his life through forced intervention... things only get more interesting. Guts doesn't need anyone nor does he want anyone in his life but when people start forcing their way in he quickly builds up the emotional barriers but yet still holds respect for his allies and starts to acknowledge them on the battlefield as Guts begins to leave his self-centeredness behind. You'll see that the more Guts changes, the more he stays the same. Because, you'll never tire of seeing Guts cut someone in half with that huge sword.

Don't let the age of the series turn you away as it has some truly great animation and put with it's hand-painted backgrounds Berserk is one fantastic looking anime. Action, blood, a magnificent plot, enough character depth to bury you, and one of anime's greatest anti-heros, Berserk is one series that should not be passed up. The only downside here is that there is no sense of closure and will have you clamoring for a second season but since it's been over ten years things were looking bleak... until recently. Rumors of another season of Berserk have risen along with a few stills of the show but nothing has been confirmed. Maybe there's some hope after all.

Berserk (opening)

Recommendation |High|