I have to admit that I truly love Berserk and even though Kentaro Miura (who first published the prototype of Berserk in manga form in 1988) is known for his long hiatuses, the art and the detailed characters make it all worth the wait (mostly). It might thus surprise that my evaluation of the various adaptations is much more critical than I feel about the manga. If I were to judge it by how much of an impression it left on me or what emotional ties I have to the manga, the rating would be a 10/10. However, I cannot ignore the obvious mistakes made by the various adaptations. By far my favorite adaptation is the 1997 anime, which is fairly good, though lacking in several aspects, even measured by old standards. I will now quickly give an overview of the themes and general topic and then explain how each of these adaptations (1997 anime, the 2012-13 movies and the 2016 & 2017 anime) failed the manga.
To be upfront, Berserk might not be ideal for everyone. Its general theme is dark, violent, brutal, bloody, vile and sexually explicit. But it has this flair of darkness and despair that cannot be found in any other manga (to that extent) and the character development of the supposed 'hero' and apparent 'villain' is outstanding. I have never seen anything so meticulous as this slow process of building characters, giving them purpose and meaning. The impact Berserk had on various other manga, anime and video games is enormous. And it is thus crucial that (before I tear apart its adaptations) I explain just why the source material is so amazing.
The world of Berserk is strongly oriented on the Western medieval era, including a variety of different monsters and religious ideas. Midland is the center of the continent on which Berserk is focusing. It is a cruel, harsh and war-ridden world that revolves around battles. In this universe, actions have irreversible consequences and there is no place for weakness. The main protagonist (called Guts) was born from the corpse of a hanged woman and raised by Gambino, the leader of a mercenary band. He has suffered physical and sexual abuse in his childhood and grew up with a sword in hand, knowing neither love nor friendship. Despite the challenges and hardships, he manages to survive. Eventually, he stumbles upon another mercenary band called "The Band of the Hawk" (or Falcon, depending on the translation). Their leader Griffith, much impressed by Guts' sword skills, wishes him to join the mercenary band and challenges him to a duel. Guts, rash and angry, loses to Griffith and henceforth reluctantly serves as a swordsman under his command. Without spilling too much information (you should definitely read the manga) I can say that the plot isn't progressing as one might expect. While we do get to see a slowly growing friendship between Griffith and Guts and experience their struggles to survive on the battlefield and later, to persevere amongst the ever plotting and scheming royals as the Band of the Hawk gradually gains recognition and status - everything takes a turn for the worse.
There is a lot of foreshadowing, with the reader knowing from the start that whatever rank The Band of the Hawk may achieve and however close the protagonists may become, the good times just won't last. The clouds of doom gather and leave us with a bitter taste as we progress in the Golden Age Arc, which explains what happened between the first meeting of the protagonists and the eventual devastating outcome by following Guts' and Griffith's story of camaraderie, friendship and ... betrayal.
What I so truly love about Berserk is that each of the characters is unique. Even the side characters are thoroughly explored and satisfactorily portrayed. Of course, there is the cliché of Guts as the strong silent type, but he's also compassionate (deep, deep down), loyal and at times philosophical. Guts' initial reluctance and naivety concerning friendships is not born out of hatred for others but due to lifelong isolation and lack of experience with a sense of belonging. He is a flawed character with social issues (rooted in trauma), very skilled at war whilst exhibiting an excessive thirst for blood. None of these traits are concealed or meant to be exculpating, and it is thus left to the reader what to make of it.
Casca, the female commander of The Band of the Hawk and strong admirer of Griffith, is another crucial component of the story as it unfolds with her standing between the friendship of Guts and Griffith, having to deal with jealousy issues and prejudice but eventually manages to put those behind her for the sake of the mercenary band and herself.
Griffith on the other hand is the intelligent, stoic and charming leader of the Band of the Hawk. He is quick-witted but also ruthless in battle and highly driven. Although he initially seems to possess a nearly inhuman level of skill and confidence, we learn that he is inwardly conflicted about the deaths that his ambitious dream (to one day own his own kingdom) demands. The reservations he holds towards other members of the mercenary group to keep them at a safe distance seem not to apply to Guts, as he starts opening up to him and tasking him with several important (sometimes questionable) matters (which initially infuriates Casca but draws Guts in and causes him to lower his defenses).
All characters grow and as Guts loses some of his anger, he learns to treasure the bonds that can be found among fellow companions. Through all the battles and important plot events the protagonists behave strikingly human and true to character, making the story believable and that much more tragic.
In contrast to other stories neglecting to explore the reason and main drivers behind a person's ambition or changes in character, character development in Berserk happens gradually and is based on interactions with other main and side characters and is backed by plot progress and events. Everything eventually falls into place as we stumble through the mine field of battles, royal intrigues and pit-falls of personal relationships which ultimately lead to the catastrophe that pushes each of the protagonists to breaking point. Now, I promised that I won't spoil anything (specifically) so I have to hold back on my praise. But trust me when I say that you won't be disappointed and that there is no way you could predict what will eventually happen (or unfold).
1997 Anime
Turning to the adaptations now, you may see why my expectations are high. However, I started watching the anime before I read the manga, so I can guarantee that I was not prejudiced before watching it. The 1997 anime with a total of 25 episodes is the first adaptation and covers the Golden Age Arc (Guts meeting Griffith up until a certain event called The Eclipse). When I first watched it, I didn't mind the flaws that much, especially after episode 15 when the plot started progressing at higher speed. However, the anime lacks in various aspects to an extent that simply cannot be overlooked. It is very slow-paced, sometimes spending one minute on a single frame while the character is talking (or just silently contemplating).
Now, it is understandable that an anime from 1997 might not look as fluid and neat as one from recent years (although there are exceptions - looking at you, 2016 & 2017 adaptation), but even by those standards, the animation was simply cheap. However, the background music and sound suited the atmosphere rather well, switching between peaceful contemplative tunes and wild battle themes. They clearly outshine the terrible albeit highly memorable opening and ending theme.
The original voice acting is great and (in my opinion) suits the characters very well. Concerning the plot, I regret that many scenes were cut and a lot of the brutality and violence was censored. While I understand that a certain amount of cutting is necessary and that there are limits to what can be shown in a TV series, some central scenes should have remained in there. After all, part of what makes Berserk Berserk is its uncompromising portrayal of violence. However, the overall vibe of the anime drew me in and the cliff-hanger ending coaxed me into reading the manga, which is why this adaptation will always be my favorite.
It is a shame that they did not spend more money on the animation and continued with an improved second season (which was kind of necessary after the very sudden, very disturbing ending of the first one). I am aware that money is always an issue in the industry, but I am convinced that if the 1997 anime had been of better quality, Berserk would have gained a much larger fandom. Overall I have difficulties rating the first adaptation, mainly because I feel bad giving it less than a 7, but what's fair is fair. So I rate it between a 6 and a 7 (knowing full well that it probably (at best) deserves a 6 *cough*).
By the way, it was rated with an 8.5 on IMDb which I would have done too, had I only considered how much I like the anime. I truly got goosebumps from watching Berserk's most memorable scenes in this anime and I love that they focused on the dialogues and out of combat mood just as much as on battle scenes. (Because Berserk is actually rather deep and intelligent, if you give it a chance)
2012-2013 Movies
Moving on to the animated movie series (trilogy) between 2012 and 2013. The three movies cover (once again) the Golden Age Arc up until (and a little further than) The Eclipse. In fact, it re-tells the story of the anime without much change. The 2D animation obviously improved quite a lot, the background sounds and music were fitting and the voice actors suited the characters well. But as pretty as the 2D animation is, the mixing of 2D and 3D technique was a very regrettable decision. With some of the 3D scenes looking incredibly cheap and sloppily animated. The attempted CGI is probably what destroys the movies for me, in addition to the lack of "flair" that the 1997 anime had (despite its poor 2D animation).
There was less censoring (this is a positive aspect, just to make it clear), since the movies weren't as restricted as the TV series in the violence and gore they were allowed to show. The plot with its major events spread over 3 movies felt a little pieced together and some elements felt rushed. However, they did a much better job at finishing the events of the Golden Age Arc, concluding with an actual ending that counts as an ending (instead of just cutting away from the scene mid action and rolling the credits).
All in all, the movies get the same rating as the 1997 anime, because they outshine it in some but do not measure up to it in other aspects. As a conclusion I'd say that the most positive aspects are the improved 2D animation, the cut back on censoring and that it is simply more Berserk material (because we take what we can get).
2016 & 2017 Anime Finally, we arrive at the latest and greatest failure of the Berserk adaptations, the TV series of 2016 (S1) and 2017(S2) covering the Conviction Arc and the Falcon of the Millennium Empire Arc. Which means it does NOT cover the Golden Age (like its predecessors) but focuses on Guts and other members dealing with the aftermath of the events that transpired at the very end of the Golden Age Arc.
To be honest, I was truly looking forward to watching it, because by that time, I had already caught up with the newest volume of the manga and couldn't wait for an adaptation that finally continued where the others had left off. Since both seasons were already out, I thought I'd binge watch it right away. However...it turned out to be a humiliatingly atrocious anime in the visual department. And I am not exaggerating. By now (if you have heard about Berserk) you should have encountered a great variety of memes mocking the cheap, low standard, embarrassing 3D animation - and rightfully so. I felt cheated and angry. Yes, the plot is still Berserk and the soundtrack is actually quite amazing, the gory scenes are in there - but the animation kills it all. To be fair, there is some fairly good 2D animation, but I wonder, how can it be that the animation is worse than the one 20 years ago? Movements look stiff, unnatural, cheaply animated, the monsters are terrifying, but not in a good way. In fact, the CGI is so bad, that you're not sure whether you want to laugh or cry. But let me show you what I mean....
As you can see, it truly is a hopeless case and it left me wondering, how on earth can it be that random unpopular anime get first rate animation and Berserk gets...well, this? It strikes me as highly unfair and it leaves me angry, because the manga is so beautiful and there is so much to explore (not just plot-wise, but also concerning the characters). This was THE opportunity to bring it to the next level and do the manga justice. But no. I don't even want to rate this, because I cannot be objective here. As a fan, I feel betrayed and even the motto "more Berserk is always better than no Berserk, no matter the quality" does not apply here.
This TV series is - to put it mildly - plain garbage.
So, what did I want to express with this and why did I say that all adaptations failed the manga, when it's just the latest one that truly takes the cake? Well, because (despite the 1997 and 2012/13 being rated as more than passable) they don't measure up to the manga. They just don't. That is a compliment to Miura of course, but it is still sad, considering what could have been. I know that some fans believe that it is simply impossible to adapt Berserk into an anime, but I don't think that is the case. It is true that the gore, the monsters and various action scenes might be difficult to do justice. But it is certainly not impossible. The fact that there is not one amazing adaptation out there means, that there has not been enough money and/or effort put into the production of the anime.
To conclude, I guess this was more of an advertisement of the manga and bashing of the adaptations (I admit my general frustration) than intended. However, you don't have to take my word for it, convince yourselves, maybe give the 1997 anime a try first and if you think it's not bad at all you might also want to watch the movies. In any case, if you wish to know how the story proceeds and what happens after the Golden Age Arc, don't bother with the newest anime, do yourselves a favor and read the manga.
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