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: Anime Works
: Anime, Fantasy Anime, Swords and Sorcery Anime
: 100 min.
: English, Japanese
: English
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For over one hundred years, the great armies of Chuder and Midland have clashed upon bloodstained battlefields. Only the impenetrable stronghold of Doldery keeps the empire of Chuder afloat. As the storm of war rages around them, the band of the hawk has taken its place in the main offensive. Because of their actions. Midland's troops are able to march right to the doors of the legendary Chuder fortress and challenge the undefeated army of General Boscogn. For many of the hawks, the outcome of the final battle between Midland and Chuder means more than simple victory or defeat.
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| Outstanding character development in an action-oriented and gore-splattered anime
by hneline1
April 16, 2003 - 8:01 PM PDT
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4 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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Ok, I admit that I love this series. I love the harsh medieval background, the thoughtful battle strategy, the swordplay (whether bloody hack and slash or not), the complex characters with unique motivations, and the sweep of politics and sense of history. There are themes of struggling against karmic fate and of finding one's own purpose, and whether to merge one's dream under another's or to go at it alone. There are undertones of evil and dark forces in an untamed world. I will also admit that I drool over Gatts' machismo... all that muscle-bound fighting he does and that taciturn surliness while wielding that humongous sword. Aiya. ;-p
The episodes on this disk continue to balance intense action with quiet moments that give insight into the main characters. I especially like that Gatts finally talks some to Caska -- well, that he finally talks some to anyone. It's an indication of how much he's changed over the series that he can verbalize an internal struggle. The character development in this series is outstanding, especially compared to other action-oriented and gore-splattered anime where the fighting often takes precedence over psychology. Here, it's easy to be drawn into the fear and acceptance that each battle may end with death.
For us die-hard fans, definitely look at the DVD extras. There is a lengthy and excellent audio interview with creator Kentaro Miura, who answers questions about topics such as what stories and people influenced Berserk, including non-Japanese influences. I was tickled by his remark that he wonders what U.S. fans think about "a Western fantasy made by an Asian" -- he seems pleasantly perplexed that Berserk is so popular in the U.S. when it is a Japanese interpretation of a Western medieval world.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 8.61)
223 Votes
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