Thread: Berserk

Berserk is the dark and violent tale of a massive, tormented warrior and his role in another man's psychotically ambitious plans to rule the world.

Director: Naohito Takahashi
Studio: OLM
US release: Media Blasters
Episodes: 25

Set in medieval times, Berserk focuses on the relationships between the characters, their inability to deal with their emotions, and the determination to succeed, no matter what. The result is a graphically violent, somewhat depressing anime that I couldn't take my eyes off of. There's plenty of action (all though most if not all of the fight scenes are shown in stills at climatic moments), and the main characters, while not all likeable, are shown as real people whom one can have empathy for.

Major characters

Guts
Our (tragic) hero and main character, Guts wanders the countryside as an gigantic, angry loner wielding with ease a sword bigger than himself. He suffered a horrible childhood, being raised and taught to fight by a man who seemed to hate Gut's very existence. He joins the Band of the Hawk after he cannot defeat Griffith in a sword fight, and eventually finds himself drawn in by Griffith's charm. Guts is at first determined to see Griffith's ambition fulfilled, but later decides to leave the Band of the Hawk, setting in motion a chain of events that ends in disaster.

Griffith
With his flowing white hair and piercing eyes, Griffith is both handsome and charismatic; his men (and woman) are more than willing to face death for him. He is the leader of the Band of the Hawk, a mercenary group renowned for their unmatched skills and unquestioning loyalty. Griffith is not given to displays of emotion, and approaches most situations in a calm, calculating manner. He believes a man is no more than his ambition, and eventually that anything and everything must be sacrificed to achieve his goal. Griffith wears an odd and very ugly pendant around his neck, and senses that it is vital to the success of his plans, although he isn't sure why.

Casca
Below only Guts and Griffith in terms of fighting skill, Casca is the only female mercenary in the Band of the Hawk, and second-in-command until Guts shows up. Pretty and delicate-looking, Casca is often able to gain the upper hand on her enemies because they don't take her seriously. She is infatuated with Griffith, even though she knows everything takes a backseat to his plans. The series does a great job with Casca; although she is a warrior, she remains a woman and faces the same emotional and physical problems that any other woman would deal with.

(Yes, there are other characters worthy of mention, but I'd be here all night if I went through them all. I'm just sticking with the very important ones here.)

To tell you any more of the story would ruin all the fun suprises for you, so I'll end with this: Berserk is definitely not for the faint of heart (or anyone under 16, as the rating clearly implies), but it's by far one of the best anime out there. In fact, I only have one complaint about the series, and anyone who's seen it would agree. I won't spoil it, but it has to do with the "last" episode...