Every episode of "Berserk" opens with these words narrated in a forboding tone. It's an anime that explores the concept of fate, and it does this by delving into the darkest recesses of human nature, examining themes of boundless ambition, shattered dreams and helpless despair.
For me, it's a difficult show to rate. At first glance, it doesn't seem that special, and I wondered why it people often rave on about it. But as I watched the show at the rate of a couple of episodes a day, I found the story built up solidly, until one day I suddenly realised that it had turned into a great show. Just as between the two main characters Griffith and Guts, one looked back and wondered just when the other took control, I look back and wonder just when this got so good without me noticing.
Another reason why it is so hard to rate is because of the ending. It's one of those open endings that made me feel as though they cheated me out of a proper ending. On the other hand, there's also an undeniable ingenuity about it, cos it finished in a full circle, with the end neatly connecting into the beginning, so I'm undecided over what to make of it. I know one thing for sure though - I'd be heaping praises upon it if only they made a second season that continued the story.
What is it about "Berserk" that makes it so good? Certainly not what's on the surface. The artwork looks quite dated considering the year it was made. I don't know whether it's deliberate or not, but the background often has a static, painting-like quality that contrasts sharply against the foreground. I can't really say it worked for me. Other odd things like the way nakedness is represented also stands out in a bad way. On the plus side, I like "Berserk"'s rather serious and no-nonsense character designs, and even though the action sequences aren't very consistent, when it's good, it's *really* good, with the brutal, bloody style doing the title full justice.
Although notably good anime often have great music that enhances the key moments and the atmosphere in general, "Berserk"'s sound department can't even be described as decent. The opening theme is vaguely catchy, but doesn't really fit the anime that well... and also it's ruined further because it's sung in really bad engrish. The ending theme is so bad I had to skip it every time while the music played during the previews at the end are comically inappropriate. The BGM is in a better state, but generally the music in "Berserk" is nothing to write home about.
Take away the rather average production values of "Berserk" and the real reason of why it is so good naturally surfaces: This anime is good almost soley because of the astonishing quality of its writing.
One of the things that stands out about "Berserk" is its intense violence. It's this aspect that has earned it comparisons to "Elfen Lied". Well, I say "earned", but that would imply that it's a good thing to be compared with that hollow show. "Berserk" is far more substantial than "Elfen Lied" can ever hope to be. Though both are uncompromisingly lurid, "Berserk" uses its violence much, much better. For "Elfen Lied", violence is deployed as a shock tactic and shock tactic alone. It's used over and over again to the extent that I'd numbed to it by the end. "Berserk", on the other hand, goes for quality rather than quantity. It uses its violence effectively to accentuate meaningful moments, and so its impact does not diminish through the course of the series. In fact, it saves the best till last, with a gruesome scene in the last episode involving an arm that made my stomach turn (I'm sure people who's seen this show knows exactly what I'm referring to) - "Elfen Lied" just doesn't have any answer to this kind of stuff.
As intense as the violence is in "Berserk", it's not the main attraction of the show - it is merely an enhancement tool. The real driving force behind the anime is its powerful, thought provoking story and fascinating characters. It may not start off spectacularly, but it's always consistently building up. There are no filler episodes, every single one has its purpose. When linked up, the result is an intriguing storyline that draws you in slowly but surely. So much happens during the series that it's difficult to go into details regarding the characters in "Berserk" without giving things away. They're not legendary for no reason though (in fact the show is often credited with having one of the most complex and charismatic villains ever), and it's safe to say that the central characters are all fully 3D, and are fleshed out to have tremendous depth. The intricate power struggles of the royal court, fueled by jealousy and greed, are wonderfully illustrated. The complicated motivations, hopes and fears of the characters are fully explored, and their actions propels the story forward effortlessly, with no overly engineered, inexplicable plot developments in sight. Their every action is understandable and more importantly, consistent with their character. Because of this, the characters and story are inseparable - a sure sign that it's all done right. Some of the minor villains do suffer from the cannon fodder syndrome for being a bit too stupid, but this isn't a huge problem.
I'm slightly skeptical about the supernatural element in "Berserk". I mean, I enjoyed this immensely just as a down to earth (well, down to earth compared to what happens later on) story set against a medieval background. Once it got all supernatural it was hard to get used to. But on the positive side, there was always that overarching sense of its inevitable expansion into supernatural territory, so I think it did did well to keep reminding me every few episodes or so, which went a long way to prepare me for the last few episodes when it all went crazy. I think maybe the problem lies in the fact that the series only adapts the source manga up to the point where the supernatural elements starts to kick in. Even though almost the entire series is meant to be a prelude leading up to this, without a follow up series, it's a bit hard to accept the small quantity of demon involvement when like 90% of the series is not at all reliant on it.
Still, all in all, I really liked "Berserk", but given the reputation of the manga, I can't shake the feeling that the anime is only this good thanks to the awesome source material. The lack of brilliant direction and the lack of a continuation prevents it from becoming a mind blowing masterpiece that maybe it could have been. As good as "Berserk" is, it can probably still be chalked down as wasted potential.
