-Paul Valery
"It is well that war is so terrible — lest we should grow too fond of it."
-Robert E. Lee (allegedly)
In the discussion on the nature of man, the topic of war must eventually arise, and war being the most basic and brutal of all the practices that mankind engages in, it will also inevitably dominate the subject. There is much to say about war, and most of what is or will be said is consumed with the dualistic and contradictory nature of its glory versus its terror. The rush of victory and the rivers of blood that must necessarily precede any victory are so intrinsically connected that they cannot be divorced from one another by anyone who is not so intellectually stunted as to be entirely ignorant of cause and effect. All the greatest practitioners of war have struggled to define it, to encapsulate it so that it can be understood in moral terms, while also acknowledging it's inherently immoral nature. Contradiction breeds more contradiction, a truth as complex as it is demonstrable.
Almost as preeminent a subject in the discussion of mankind is that of ambition and the quest for power. If war is the effect of man, then the quest for power and the ambition that both motivates and allows for it are the causes. At the heart of every conflict is a goal to be attained, and a person or people who desire for it's attainment and are willing to pay the butcher's bill for it. Nothing is free, as the economists are fond of pointing out, and certainly power is the least free of all those worldly possessions that exist. It carries the highest cost, as power is, unlike so many other things, a true scarcity. It cannot be multiplied or manufactured and one can only gain true power by denying it to others, or wresting it from those who already have it. Thus is war the offspring of the quest for power.
Among the many themes of the anime, Berserk, the quest for power and the price of ambition stands out as it's primary focus. It is the pivot upon which the world revolves and the characters act out their roles. War is the setting within which the characters live and interact, but the theme that gives meaning to the setting is an examination of the ambitions of men and demons. As they jockey for ever more power, they both erase their own humanity and fulfill it. If man is a creature of definable, discernible nature, than it must be said that his nature is itself a contradiction. There is nothing more yet less human than the slaughter of other humans in the pursuit of power and it is this that compels me most about Berserk. With a deep understanding of man's nature, and a skillful application of archetypes, the story is fleshed out so that the viewer is forced to contend with his own dualism. We shy away from the characters for their seeming willingness to walk down the path of destiny, yet we are enraptured with this same unhesitating, unwavering will to forge ahead, blind to the inevitable consequence. We are attracted to Griffith's ambition, despite knowing the costs and his willingness to pay them. We are absorbed with Gut's skill in battle, despite knowing the purposelessness of his killing.
More than anything it is the brutally simple and rough art, and the haunting soundtrack, that establish the tone of despair and betrayal and inevitability that permeates the story and the characters. As we journey with the characters through their war and their questing, we find ourselves dreading some unknown eventuality, and hoping in vain that somehow the "law of causality", as it is referred to in the show, is not fulfilled. Such emotional investment by your audience is not easy to achieve, and the success of this show in this should be noted. Tonally, Berserk is perfect, almost entirely unsurpassed in the arenas of film, literature, or animation.
On the subject of the characters, there is little to be said that is not effusive praise. They are extremely archetypal, yet uniquely portrayed. Guts and Griffith are obviously the primary characters and so receive the most development and deepening, but the minor characters are not entirely neglected. Casca in particular is a fine example of a female warrior, and her struggles of identity and loss are given just focus. The Band of the Hawk, despite being filled with clear archetypes, are likable enough that you care about their aspirations and their future. They serve their purpose well. If the characters philosophize more than is strictly normal, it is explained by their unique position in the world they live in, and is excusable because they do not speak outside their respective levels of education or experience. Those who should think simply, speak simply. Those who are more complex in their thoughts are more complex in their discussions. Dialogue, even when filled with symbolism, is both real and engaging.
The pacing is excellent; driving and steady, slowly building to a climax that is satisfying, yet leaves you yearning for more. The story is clearly unfinished, but the anime does not feel entirely incomplete. It is a back-story to a wider tale, a look at how things became the way they now are. However, those looking for a conclusion which wraps up every plot-line will be disappointed only if they are entirely unforgiving in their examinations. It has been said that the anime serves as an extended commercial for the manga. I don't know if this is entirely true, but if it is so, than it should be noted that this particular advertisement is among the most compelling and innovative of it's type.
There is always a danger in writing philosophical, introspective works. That danger lies in the pontification of pretentious banalities. When a writer or director is incapable of peering through the shrouds of humanity and reality, any attempt at legitimate intellectual discussion is doomed to both trite oversimplification, and tawdry obfuscation. Berserk does not fall into either trap, instead presenting a moral situation with the understanding that comes with true maturity. No excuses are given for evil, but rather we receive realistic explanations. No apologies for the wicked, but plenty of sympathy and understanding. In the genre within which cheap aggrandizement has taken the place of legitimate moral discourse, Berserk shines as an example of epic-fantasy "done right."
