The plot follows Guts as he's later promoted to a commander within the Band of the Hawks ranks, and during this time his sword is swung helping Griffith see his dream come true. The plot for the most part follows one battle after the other which can seem quite stale to some. However, it's the strong character development and interactions that continues breathing life into the plot. They help drive home the series serious themes of obsession, jealousy, greed, camaraderie, depression, isolation, a sense of need and more. The series is high in violence, yet violence is the main point since this is the only way many of these characters can actually express themselves due to their dark pasts. Berserk explores the good and bad of human nature, and it never gives off a heavy handed feeling.
I can't stress enough on how strong the characters are. This anime is the bible on how to develop characters; Guts is constantly at odds with himself as he tries to search for what he really wants, and although the viewers will see what he already has. It can simply be described as breath taking once he learns what he does have. Along with Guts, many of the characters break their molds and grow as people. Some of the things they do to get from one point to another can be quite disturbing and even disgusting, but this is human nature for you though. People are selfish, misguided, flawed, and sometimes we do things to obtain our goals, and Berserk plays on this among other things nicely.
Whether it's on the battlefield or even having a drink together. The characters continue to shine and this is what helps bring out a sense of realism to Berserk you normally don't see in anime. Despite Guts probably sounding like a really angst-filled character; he has a heart of gold and tons of courage as he hacks and slashes his enemies into oblivion. This anime is jam-packed with bloody action to complement its consistently dark atmosphere. I will admit that there's a bungling enemy commander here, but he does not damage the tone, nor will you find any out of place comedy to "lighten up the mood". No, Berserk knows what it wants to be and director Naohito Takahashi never forgets this.
Visually this is among the grittiest anime titles I know of. Berserk is a medieval fantasy and it can be felt through out; the backgrounds can be magnificent with larger than life castles giving off an indestructible feel. The battlegrounds are horrific with rows of bloody bodies draped through out the dark hallways. Then the anime shows off its beautiful snow laden backgrounds and running rivers. The character designs are serious in tone, and the facial expressions are what truly stands out, as they further carry the anime's themes. Takahashi does a splendid job showing without telling through the characters facials and movements. There are several stills to be found, and although the action is very brutal there really isn't much choreography to go crazy about. Fortunately, the action scenes do a good enough job getting its point across and looking cool while doing it.
I love the English dub and many of the sound effects. The background BGM is great following the events. However, those J-pop and badly synthesized opening and ending themes really should have been sent to another anime. They really have no place in Berserk.
Berserk is an anime that I can understand people despising, and at the same time I understand those whom love it. The beginning is almost a massive spoiler on its own, plus the ending just straight up sucks; but everything in between is just so good. Berserk has an engrossing and intricate plot with very well written characters. This is a tough anime to recommend, but I still believe serious anime fans should give this a shot. Although it does have its bad features, the good stands out quite well also.
Highs: Consistently dark tone, very strong characters, visuals, great use of themes
Lows: Shaky start, cliffhanger ending, poor choice of opening and ending themes
