THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Abbreviations
sakkan: animation director
sou-sakkan: chief animation director
The staff working on this really nailed Berserk, and I think, when it comes to the realm of an anime adaptation of this manga, this adaptation comes pretty close to perfection. Since I’ve read the manga a while ago, my memory when it comes to detail is not the best, but what I strongly still remember, and I think many who read it do, is that the manga leaves a lot of impact with its drawings. They’re gritty, extremely detailed and showcase a brutal world where Guts continuously proceeds to fight his own fate.
Of course, it would be impossible for the anime to replicate all these drawings in their detail, unless they want to make a slideshow, but that’s not what an anime is about. Which is not to say that the drawings in this adaptation are poor, for an anime they are exceptionally good: The designs from character designer Yoshihiko Umakoshi (with assistance by Norihiro Matsubara) are wonderful and detailed, the show also had good sakkans throughout its entire run, under Yuriko Chiba’s and Norihiro Matsubara’s supervision as sou-sakkans, and the show utilized very strongly drawn stills in fights or other impactful scenes to create more tension or leave a stronger impression that way.
In addition, the anime was blessed to have Shichirou Kobayashi as art director, who consistently created impressive, wallpaper-worthy backgrounds. It’s unbelievable how good they are.
Lastly, the series also had strong soundtracks by Susumu Hirasawa, accompanying scenes perfectly, setting the right atmosphere while also being memorable tracks on their own. Together with the direction, which made use of all these aspects, this adaptation of Berserk in my opinion, managed to create an atmosphere capable of rivaling what the manga does with its drawings. The world and characters felt gritty, it had the same melancholy feel, punches and slashes in fights had a large impact, and the tension, especially in scenes with Griffith, was built up so well. It made me root for the Band of the Hawks again, made me love Guts, Griffith, and the rest of the cast, and created a horrifying experience with Eclipse to end it all.
Berserk is probably a manga which will never reach a “perfect” adaptation - But this anime, I think, comes close. About the story itself - it’s as good as ever. While I don’t consider Golden Age to be a masterpiece, it’s unbelievably solid, with strong characters, emotional hooks and setting the right themes for the rest of the series. The anime did it justice, and I was happy to re-experience it again this way.30 out of 32 users liked this review
