All right let me start off by saying this is my first actual review, I have done reviews in the past but they were for my own benefit and fun and also I have a hard time calling ANYTHING bad. If it were like Super-Man 64 bad, then I would have no problem saying that is bad. ‘GET ON WITH IT.’ Okay okay. The review today will be for one of my most cherished shows, Berserk.
Story:
The story of the Berserk anime follows the tale of Guts (Gatsu/Gatts) in his early days when he was in a mercenary band called The Band of The Hawk. Better known as The Golden Age Arc. It shows Guts on an epic journey to find what he is REALLY looking for and where he really wants to be. And in only 25 episodes he accomplishes this but not before the saddest cliffhanger and one of the most emotionally crippling endings in the world. On its own it wouldn’t get a high score but it is done in such a way it’s a masterpiece.
9/10
Art:
The Art is absolutely stunning, if it were anything like the Manga then it would be. The art is so detailed its amazing. Everyone is drawn in a realistic way. It’s definitely a great aspect of Berserk and I heard it was one of the best-drawn Manga/Anime in the world although I don’t think that’s true but it is a very well drawn creation and anyone who has seen Berserk will know this.
10/10
Animation:
Oh, this is probably the negative portion of the review; yes I know everyone has railed on the animation for this anime (And I didn’t really notice it until I was told) but to be honest the animation is non-existent now I know they had a small budget and all but the animation is done well for the fight scenes, which I guess is the point, but other then that its not that great, characters walk fine and talk fine but mostly the episode is made up of pictures with a moving camera effect- if that makes any sense.
6/10
Length:
Like most animes that aren’t shonen or mainstream Berserk is very short only spanning 25 episodes. But the way it is set out and shown makes it feel longer than it actually is.
(No score)
Voice Acting:
Once again nothing but good news, nothing sounded awful in either language but the main villain in episode 6 in the Japanese cast could have used a bit of work. (No spoilers) But most of the main actors do very well at performing the roles of the characters only some lines are off and sound weird.
7/10
Music:
Everyone who has heard this soundtrack likes it, every song fits perfectly and even though there are only 13 songs (1 one of which is unofficial) they all fit into the episode they are put in they all evoke emotion and heart and they are very nice to listen to.
10/10
I would compare it to the Manga right now but that would be unfair because they leave so much out because of time and potholes so for this I will just leave it but for what they did I’ll give it a-
6/10
Conclusion:
Despite some negativities I have said and your own opinions be they good or bad, I would say watch Berserk you won’t be disappointed. Great story, great character development and an all around great show with morals. Just be careful this is very bloody and the ending will haunt some people for a while or make you shut down for a day or two.
