Berserk: Ougon Jidai-hen II - Doldrey Kouryaku

The Band of the Hawk and their enigmatic leader Griffith continue winning battle after battle as their prestige throughout the kingdom of Midland grows. But their latest task is one that has seen failure from everyone who has attempted it: the subjugation of the impenetrable fortress of Doldrey.

But with members like Guts—the captain of the Hawks' raiders who can easily fell 100 men with his gigantic sword—such tasks prove to be trivial. However, in the aftermath of the battle, Guts decides to leave the Hawks in order to pursue his own dream and bids farewell to his companions, despite Griffith's attempts to make him stay. This single event causes Griffith to lose his composure, and leads him to make a decision that will alter his and the Hawks' fates forever.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Guts Main

Iwanaga, Hiroaki Japanese

Griffith Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Casca Main

Yukinari, Toa Japanese

The Skull Knight Supporting

Puck Supporting

Judeau Supporting

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

de Vandimion, Farnese Supporting

Serpico Supporting

Pippin Supporting

Fujiwara, Takahiro Japanese

Rickert Supporting

Kotobuki, Minako Japanese

Kubooka, Toshiyuki Director, Storyboard

Hori, Motonobu Storyboard

Iwataki, Satoshi Storyboard, Key Animation, Animation Director

Kanai, Jirou Storyboard, Key Animation

Reviews

Nov 22, 2023

MxS7HGS

Recommended

The movie continues from where the previous one left off. It centers around Guts pondering the concept of genuine friendship, as defined by Griffith, and how it affects the team. Those who are familiar with the manga and the 1997 series will recognize the starting and ending points. However, there are also three appearances from manga-exclusive characters.

While the animation quality in this movie is not as consistent as that of the previous one, the faster scenes are smoother. The slow-motion scenes can be choppy and uneven, but the graphic violence and gore are depicted in great detail. This makes up for some of the animation ... flaws. The franchise's typical massive violence is suitably portrayed. However, the atmosphere of the series could be more immersive if it had a grainy look, as seen in the 80s and 90s animation styles.

The soundtrack compositions in this movie are different from those in the previous works. They are more orchestrated and feature acoustic sounds instead of the grand chorus style of Hirakawa Susumu. Although fans of the previous series and games may find it unnatural, newcomers will appreciate it. The soundtrack does an excellent job of reflecting the atmosphere, but fans may prefer Hirakawa to compose everything again.

In this movie, the voice acting does not match the original series. The new voice actor for Guts does not capture the character's intimidating, bad-ass nature as well as the previous one did. Furthermore, Caska's new voice actor is not convincing. Although Sakurai's portrayal of Griffith is okay, it is not as cold as Morikawa Toshiyuki's. Overall, the voice acting is not as good as in the previous movie. This may be disappointing for fans of the original series and games.

If you have limited time to learn about Berserk, the movies can be a suitable choice as they feature all the action and battles from the series. However, some important details might be omitted which could be significant for some viewers.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 6, 2021

ICenturyI

Mixed Feelings

Reviews if you don't have time.
*SPOILER-FREE*

“Berserk” despite not needing introduction is a manga adaptation with Studio 4oC at the front of animation and what an expectation did they were expected to meet by animating one of if not the best manga ever drawn. And comparing to the 3D animation disaster that is “Berserk (2016)” it did a decent job.

As far as animation goes, despite not being absolutely appalling, I can comfortably say that it was far from the quality that a manga like “Berserk” deserved. Some actions were clunky and not very detailed, the art-style was a ... lot less impactful or terrifying. The fights were mediocre and not that overwhelming as it was supposed plus, the emotions and terrifying moments that exist don’t flow or express themselves as well.

The plot is really good, or at least where it follows the source material, and the characters are unique and very detailed in a physical and emotional level. The music is actually one of the best things in the animes adaptations and is something that complements the show. Plus, in my opinion was a decent attempt to make an adaptation on a budget of “Berserk” and still did a lot better than its predecessor.

The big problem with this adaptation is that it could never reach the level of intensity or storytelling that the manga has. Each and every scene is just a reminder of how amazing a perfect adaptation could be. It is not a bad show if it was original (not saying that it would be a good one either) but the bad aspects get that more aggravated by how good the source material is.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Apr 1, 2015

literaturenerd

Not Recommended

The 2nd Berserk movie picks up exactly where the first one left off: watering down the Berserk story and character development, and assaulting our eyes with CGI that would be decent for a late PS2 or early PS3 title, but completely unacceptable for a modern movie that got released in theaters!

SPOILERS!

We get to see the epic battle between the Band of the Hawk and the hilariously named Purple Rhino Heavy Cavalry. As you no doubt already surmised...the battle looks like total crap! Then we get tons of scenes with the Hawks celebrating because there is a very limited amount of time and this movie wants ... to get the important stuff in. Remember the sub-plot revealing how Midland's politics work? The one with the royal hunt, the attempt to assassinate Griffith, and Guts' counter assassination that results in him killing a child? They cut that out. The fact that Guts felt great guilt over that act and it played a huge role in the story for both his character development and his decision to ultimately leave the Hawks...who cares about that? Instead of even alluding to that sub-plot, just have Guts leave for no reason. We need to spend 10 minutes of screen time on a wonderfully Narm, shit CGI sex scene with Griffith, featuring questionable quality violin accompaniment. This movie is meant to introduce Berserk to a new generation and of course THAT was the part of the story they really needed to see. Fuck Guts' character development. Griffith's throbbing CGI, 240p resolution cock is FAR more important. Important characters like the devious minister Foss, and the Queen were axed, because that screen time obviously needed to go to Corbowitz and the goblin dungeon keeper. Corbowitz and the goblin were such critical parts of the story and atmosphere of Berserk. This technique of shitty adaptation has been passed down through the Corbowitz family for 3,000 years!

TLDR:

The film badly waters down the story and characters of Berserk, constantly making horrendous decisions to cut out important parts and leave in pointless parts. The CGI is very slightly improved over the first film, but still looks like absolute SHIT. If you are looking to get into the Berserk franchise, read the manga or watch the original anime. Don't waste your time on the first 2 movies. The 3rd movie actually isn't bad, but that is another review!

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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