A complete story. The characters, the art style, the sound design, the music, the tone and the plot. All nailed down to a T. Although I started with the anime rather than the manga, I feel as though I got the most complete parts of that manga condensed into this well-presented package. It made my heart race, pulled on the strings but ultimately left me wanting more. Of course I will end up reading the manga because of how much of a masterpiece this show was which I guess is the goal of an anime adaptation.
The first episode did a successful job of establishing the badassery of Guts and his huge sword, and really that would be all that I would need to be hooked. It gave me enough intruige to watch the whole 25 episodes, just through sheer force of the main character Guts. And so to talk about the plot.
Firstly, the plot. I know that the manga continues on after this and just the fact that this entire show (or season I guess) is dedicated to how Guts turns into who he is and what he's motivated by allows me to understand the character and the journey he has been on so that I can appreciate his further adventures in the manga (when I read it) so I feel as though this anime has done a good job at establishing that for me. This story is not only driven by Guts' background story and motivations, but also the overarching plot and interpersonal relations that the show itself plays with over the course of the whole series and with perfect pacing at that. It starts off developing its characters with the brash Guts against the seemingly angelic Griffith and his pack of mercenaries. Establishing them as enemies, then friends, to which they distance and become sort of enemies again. This progression between the two 'main' characters allows for the entire story to be driven forward and not stay in a state of stagnant filler and the anime just trying to bide time. The cohesive flow of episodes allowed me to continue on without becoming bored with what the show had to offer. Just the fact that the scale kept increasing and increasing and that the stake just grew exponentially allowed for there to be a real sense of danger for the characters over the entire series and didn't leave me bored. Of course in the manga this entire show is only one arc, but I think that it was perfectly conclusive and would allow me to just get into the actual adventure that the manga had to offer. Not only was I driven to continue watching this show by the two 'main' characters (and I would say that they are somewhat the main driving forces of the show to some degree) but that acceleration from them was also propelled by the wonderful supporting cast all of which felt real. The most important aspect of a character for me is one who feels like I am able to know them through the anime itself via what it shows me. Rather than being told who the character is and what they're driven by, I like a character who shows me who they are and what they're about and I feel as though Berserk allows for me to feel what the characters are feeling throughout the entire show. Casca, Guts, Griffith, Rickert, Pippin, Judeau and even Corkus bounce off of each other and help to establish the heart and soul of the mercanary band. Just being able to witness their growth throughout the entire show warmed my heart and I didn't want it to end. Even the men under Guts' command helped to realise the characterisation and personalisation of the show as a whole, with Gaston's admiration never failing to have me smile a little. All of that and yet. They all die. This show empties you, after filling you with the personalities of interesting characters and motivations it empties you. It flips this all on its head and runs with an even darker tone than it had already established. Although the series does progressively get darker over the 25 episode run, the last few episodes really do make an impact and I have never felt so alone and so empty just seeing Guts hopelessly held down by the Apostles and emotionally tortured by Griffith's rape of Casca. All the life sapped out of the characters in the favour of a new plotline, though it is intruiging, it hurts a little. This is not to say that this is a bad decision moving forward, if anything it motivates me to see what the manga has to offer in terms of characterisation. And in saying all of that, it would most likely prove that the characterisation is very strong, making me care about the stakes and the danger that is posed to the cast many times throughout the show.
From that, the art style. Although this is an anime from the 90's and I'm usually about that fluffy 2000's style of moe and happiness. This roughly edged and worn art helps to not only give the show a bit of timelessness but also assists in the conveyance of the show's sombre and dark tone overall. The hand-painted backgrounds and the hyper detailed pan shots really show the care put into this show and makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable. It reminds me a little bit of how timeless Cowboy Bebop is.
From this, the sound and the music help to drive home that heavy feeling art style in such an impactful way. From heavy clangs of metal to the sound of flesh being impales, all of it assists in evoking in me the dark tone of the show as a whole. And the music, used in crucial moments with particular tracks honing the polish of scenes further than they are with the art style.
Overall, I would like to read the manga which I've heard is even better than this anime. 10/10, complete in every aspect and does an honourable job in adapting a long-form manga into a digestable single season to get me hooked.