Berserk Anime 2016 First Impressions

 

Last Friday, the new Berserk Anime finally made its debut in Japan with the English subbed version released not long after via Crunchyroll. The Anime serves as a direct sequel to the first Anime series that came out in 1997, as well as the movie trilogy released between 2010 to 2013. As such, the new Berserk Anime isn't exactly meant for those who are new to the series.

And because of that, before I give my First Impressions review, which contains spoilers, besides suggesting not to continue the video further, if this is your first time onto Berserk, I also strongly recommend you familiarize yourself first with the original TV series, or the film trilogy, or even better, the manga. All three are easily available.

Beginning as a manga series from 1987 that continues to this day, Berserk is about Guts, a former mercenary who wanders around an alternate version of Medieval Europe as he is pursued virtually non-stop by a horde of evil spirits, all while hunting down a man named Griffith. The events leading to Guts's situation is detailed in the Golden Age arc, which covers the first 13 volumes of the manga, and the main focus of the first Anime series, as well as the movie trilogy. The new Anime series begins with the Conviction Arc, which is a follow-up to the Golden Age Arc.

Now if you're wondering why it took 20 years to have the Conviction Arc adapted into the new Anime series, it is mainly due to the original manga still ongoing with 343 chapters so far and is far from over. And like Hunter x Hunter, the Berserk manga had several periods of long hiatuses. Word has it author Kentaro Miura was such a big fan of the Idolmaster franchise, that he would set aside working on Berserk for several months, if not years, just to play Idolmaster.

Prior to the new Anime, the only other media that adapts the story beyond the Golden Age Arc was the PS2 game that came out in 2004, which covers the early chapters of the Millenium Falcon Arc, the follow-up to the Conviction Arc. The name is not to be confused with the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars.

What makes Berserk a beloved series among hardcore Anime fans is the combination of its fantasy-horror setting, and a protagonist who battles insurmountable odds, and pulls through while being a badass. And unlike characters such as Kenshiro, Jotaro, and even Goku, who uses power-ups to overwhelm their opponents, Guts possesses no such thing and fights mostly with his signature weapon, a gigantic sword named the "Dragonslayer". It's actually a whole lot bigger than the sword Cloud Strife uses in Final Fantasy 7. Due to the huge amounts of violence and sex in the series, it was never aired on cable. Think Game of Thrones, only edgier.

In the new Anime series, the story makes a quick introduction with the characters that will eventually play major roles as the story progresses, before we get to see Guts saving Puck from a drunken mercenary. Puck is an obnoxious, and totally naked Elf/Fairy who becomes Guts's first new companion in this series. We get to see some flashbacks on the final chapters of the Golden Age arc before we see Guts battle a horde of Skeleton Soldiers while two innocent bystanders end up as cannon fodder.

One of the complaints I see from those who watch the first episode is the animation being mostly CG and ending up clunky and unappealing, when compared to the original 1997s Anime that is entirely hand-drawn. The animation is co-produced by Liden Films, who did work on Terra Formars, the Heroic Legend of Arslan, and the New Initial D Movie Trilogy. Given that I've watched Ajin and Knights of Sidonia, which heavily used CG for their Animation, I've pretty much have gotten used to it, so I didn't have a problem with Berserk's CG Animation.

That being said, the level of violence in the new Berserk Anime appears restricted because of the CG Animation. Also in part because of the new standards when it comes to violence and sex in Anime. So it can't be helped that the new Berserk won't be as edgy as the previous one. But I am ok with that.

I only have a few issues with the first episode. First is Puck. While I understand it's mainly his first appearance, I'm expecting him to be the comic relief as he is portrayed in the manga, but so far, he hasn't done any. He does lighten the mood a bit in the show, however. I'm expecting down the road that he breaks the fourth wall and behaves like the Genie in Disney's Aladdin.

The second is the soundtrack. Artist Susumu Hirasawa composed much of the music in the first Anime series, and some for the films. But other than one his songs, he didn't provide anything else in the new Anime. Instead, we get a Heavy Metal track playing during the battle sequences as well as the Opening theme. I'm a purist at this in saying I want Hirasawa's music in this series because it does give you the sense that you are engaged in war and you need to fight to survive, even against a demon horde.

If you haven't listened to Hirasawa's music, you should check out his works as he did a lot of great tracks for Berserk. His music can also be heard in the movie Paprika, which inspired the movie Inception starring Leonardo di Caprio.

So this continuation of the Berserk series in Anime format is a long long time coming, and in spite of the few flaws, it's totally worth it. I am looking forward to the rest of the series and see how far this goes. The English subtitled version of Berserk airs every Friday on Crunchyroll.