Berserk to me is like Star Wars or Star Trek is to all the con nerds that can't get enough of it. They love it, they dress up, they know all the facts and have almost completely immersed themselves in the story. That being said, Berserk is much better than Star Wars or the trek, and not just because it's full of individual character background that plays on my heartstrings and leaves me wanting to know who the hell these people are and what their role will be in the end, or because it's action and drama have me covering my eyes when Gutz throws that dragon slayer of his from left to right destroying everything it touches. It's got levels of plot and mystery beyond that of common manga and anime story play I find nowadays.
Maybe because it was written in the 80's is why it's holding such prominent difference and awe compared to other manga and anime coming out now, with the freedom and artful technique of throwing so much vision in one page at a time, with such detail and masterful precision, the way the artist grabs you every scene with the contrast of beauty and gore, good and evil, the way tits come flying at you on the forehead of a giant octo-demon with bat wings and a face full of murderous teeth. There's just so much to suck in, so much he has you think about and analyse, so many little things he mentions in the story but doesn't bring to light until much later while still keeping the active main journey totally vivid and more than enough to fill your mind with awe.
I love this anime more than any other. It's a great reminder of how much anime has to offer the entertainment industry, how great stories can survive despite conservative points of view, and how awesome one man with a giant phuq'n sword can kick so much demonic ass, all in the name of love and justice, and still look bad ass doing it. Berserk is thankfully coming back to the 21st century with their new anime project debuting next month, and hopefully more will be on the way after that. I hope so, so more people can enjoy the craziness that Miura spits out once a decade. I hope he can get half way done with his manga before I'm 50 so I can see where it leads up to, what kind of battle Griffith and Gutz will have in the end. I can wait, as long as he keeps releasing great manga and anime in between then. I can wait..
Go watch it and see for yourself, despite the hard to find newer volumes, what's out so far kicks all the other anime in their faces in comparison. A blow they'll never recover from. Manga is the way to go for new viewers, but be warned once you start reading it you will be so pissed when you realize there's not even a breath of an end set up for us to see yet. Good reading and watching anime fans!
