“Berserk – The Complete Series” is an entertaining yet violent action series continuing the “Berserk” storyline featuring Guts, Caska and many others. If you haven’t watched “Berserk” before, I recommend starting with the three animated films (as the original anime TV series is hard to find) and then watching this 2016 anime series.
Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon
TITLE: Berserk – The Complete Series
FILM RELEASE: 2016-2017
DURATION: Episodes 1-24 (600 Minutes)
BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English Subtitles
COMPANY: Funimation
RATED: TV MA
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Directed by Itagaki Shin
Screenplay by Fukami Makoto
Music by Sagisu Shiro
Originally Created by Miura Kentarou
Character Design by Abe Hisashi
Art Director: Itou Hiromu
Anime Production by GEMBA, Millepensee
Featuring the following voice talent:
Iwanaga Hiroaki/Kaiji Tang as Guts
Sawashiro Miyuki/Allegra Clark as Slan
Nakamura Shougo/D. C. Douglas as Locus
Hikasa Yoko/Erica Lindbeck as Farnese
Shimono Hiro/Erik Scott Kimerer as Isidoro
Nogawa Masashi/Frank Todaro as Rakshas
Saiga Mitsuki/Griffin Burns as Mule Wolflame
Miyake Kenta/Imari Williams as Zodd
Yukinari Toa/Karen Strassman as Casca
Okitsu Kazuyuki/Max Mittelman as Serpico
Saito Chiwa/Mela Lee as Schierke
Yanada Kiyoyuki/Paul St. Peter as Grunbeld
Shimamoto Sumi/Philece Sampler as Flora
Mizuhara Kaoru/Sarah Anne Williams as Puck
Nanjo Yoshino/Skyler Davenport as Sonia
Sakurai Takahiro/Steve Cannon as Griffith
Arai Satomi/Tara Sands as Ivalera
Ohtsuka Akio/Taylor Henry as Skull Knight
Peer into the dark once more—the Black Swordsman roars again! Branded for death and hunted by demons forevermore, Guts embarks on a journey to escape his fate and get his revenge on the man he once considered a friend. With his monstrous blade, Dragonslayer, he and a band of unlikely allies will face danger unlike any they’ve ever experienced before. The answers he seeks lie shrouded in the night.
In 1990, the manga series “Berserk” was published by Hakusensha for Jets Comics. Created by Kentaro Miura, the series would be serialized in “Young Animal” and a 25-episode episode anime series was made. Also, video games an an animated film series.
While many fans are drawn to the series for its medieval storyline, its violent action-packed storyline and its characters, for some, it has been a series that Miura Kentaro has taken his time with, as one to two volumes of the manga series are released each year. And as of 2020, a total of 40 volumes have been released. So, for 30 years, this storyline has been released slowly but still is going strong and admired by many readers internationally.
As for the anime series, the first series was released back in 1997-1998 and titled “Berserk: Kenpu Denki” (Berserk: Sword-Wind Tales) and focuses on the Black Swordsman Arc through the Golden Age Arc.
From 2012-2013, three “Berserk” films were released and focused on the “Golden Age Arc”.
And in 2016, the latest animated series was focused on the “Conviction” and “Falcon of the Millennium” arc (which is chapter 115 in the manga series) and is 24-episodes long.
In 2020, this latest animated series has been released as a complete collection on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation.
What is “Berserk” about (before the events of the 2016 anime series)?
There is a a war between two countries. With one proud general asking the enemy for anyone to beat him in battle, no one volunteers to fight him except one. The Byronic hero known as Guts. Guts kills the general and his fight catches the eye of the mercenary group known as the Band of the Hawk.
After collecting his payment for killing the general, Guts is attacked by the Band of the Hawk and easily cuts them down. The group’s leader Griffith then sends the female soldier Casca to fight him but before Guts can kill her, Griffith shows up and shoots an arrow towards Griffith’s arm. Guts then tries to fight Griffith but to his amazement, Griffith is so quick and stabs him with his sword.
When Guts wakes up, he finds out he has been out and he was nursed back to life thanks to Casca and Griffith.
Upset that his enemy saved him, Guts wants to fight Griffith once again. Griffith tells him that if he beats him in battle, Guts must join the Band of the Hawk and essentially, he will own him.
The two then get into a fight but once again Griffith wins in battle and Guts must join the Band of the Hawk. He also tells him that he will be responsible for killing Guts, no one else. And that his motivation of needing Guts is to rule his own kingdom.
Fast forward several years later and Guts is seen fighting alongside the Band of the Hawk as a commander but his thirst of fighting and wanting to put himself in the battle before anyone, upsets Casca who screams at him for not taking the group into consideration. But still the men of the Band of the Hawk value Guts heroics and look up to him as a hero. As does Griffith.
One day, the Band of the Hawk goes after a rumored monster known as Zodd the Immortal. As usual, Guts goes into fight the thing before anyone else does and to his shock, Zodd is a monster. Despite being beaten, Guts manages to injure Zodd and earning respect by the monster, who now wants to fight and kill him. But the Band of the Hawk come to save Guts and Griffith tries to save Guts but both are injured while fighting Zodd.
As Zodd is about to kill Griffith, he sees the Behelit around Griffith’s neck. Zodd tells Guts to not trust Griffith, he is not a friend and by following him, it will lead to his death. And the monster flies away.
Guts is not sure what that warning meant but he is curious why the monster escaped when he saw Griffith’s Behelit.
What is “Beserk” (2016) about?
The storyline takes a few years later after the events of the solar eclipse, as the Holy Iron Chain Knights are pursuing Guts and he encounters their leader Farnese. While Guts is looking for Casca, especially after having a dream that she is being burned on a stake and being called a witch. Meanwhile, the King of Midland dies after seeing a vision of the return of Grifith.
As for Casca, she is discovered by a prostitute named Luca who tries to protect her as her diseased sister who she names as Elaine.
Will Guts reunite with Casca?
VIDEO:
“Berserk” is presented in 1080p High Definition. The first thing that long time fans will see the creative difference from the original series and with the film series via production by Studio 4°C. But for the most part, GEMBA and Millepensee did a good job in animating this series.
But I’m sure viewers will have a subjective opinion towards the overall look of the series compared to the film and how things looked in the original 1997 anime series and compared to the manga series.
There is a slight softness, but that’s expected for a TV series. Anime does feature solid backgrounds and a colorful palette.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Berserk” is presented in English and Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 with English subtitles. Voice acting for the most part are well-done for both English and Japanese soundtracks.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Berserk” comes with the Japanese promotional videos and textless opening and ending themes.
EXTRAS:
“Berserk – The Completed Collection” comes with the Blu-ray and a Funimation digital code.
For someone who follows “Berserk”, part of me was excited that we saw new anime, from the film series to the 2016 animated series created because so many people have been waiting for more “Berserk” for a long time.
The manga is released slowly and suffice to say, when I was following this series, It was not long after graduating from high school. And like many people who have grown up with this series, many years have past and it still has not concluded.
There is so much story that has yet to be told and whether or not we will see new animated series anytime soon. It’s hard to say.
For those new to “Berserk”, it’s important for them to know that the manga and anime are one of the most violent series that was released in Japan. And that violence carries onto the animated series. There is a lot of blood, a lot of decapitations, bodies cut apart, guts spilling out… this is a series that will appeal to those who like violent swordfighting action.
It’s also an anime series with a lot of sexual situations as well. It’s a series that has dark situations.
And this series features Guts trying to save Caska, who had been traumatized after her comrades were slaughtered and she was raped. Her mind is broken and she has mentally regressed due to the trauma and has become branded with a sacrificial mark.
It was difficult to see such a powerful woman reduced to a person that has lost everything, including her memories and her mind.
But this latest series features others encountering or accompanying Guts, which includes a Windspirit from Elfhelm named Puck and a noblewoman named Farnese de Vandimion, Farnese’s companion Serpico, a thief named Isidro, a witch-in-training named Schierke and more.
The Blu-ray features a colorful pallete with beautiful art backgrounds and the voice acting is well-done for both soundtracks. It’s important that the recap episodes 12.5 and 21.5 are not included. Only episodes 1-24.
Overall, “Berserk – The Complete Series” is an entertaining yet violent action series continuing the “Berserk” storyline featuring Guts, Caska and many others. If you haven’t watched “Berserk” before, I recommend starting with the three animated films (as the original anime TV series is hard to find) and then watching this 2016 anime series.
Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon
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