Ask John: Why is Berserk So Good?

Question:
I consider myself to be a seasoned anime fan, but nothing I have ever seen could prepare me for Berserk. Why is it so different? Better yet, why is it so stinkin’ good? And do you know any news about it coming to the states?

Answer:
Quite simply, Berserk is good because it is. While the Berserk television animation is quite different than the original manga, it maintains the same elements that have made the manga a consistent best-seller in Japan. The Berserk TV series is exceedingly violent, but even fans that don’t really like extreme bloodshed my find themselves captivated by Berserk. Quite simply, it’s because Berserk is one of the rare shows that simply gets everything right: the story, the writing, the direction, the characterizations, the music. What I personally found most appealing about the Berserk animation was its ability to present exhilarating, extremely violent action while never losing sight of characterization or the continuing storyline. Like a John Woo film, for example, the violence in Berserk is both content and form. It seems not like a gimmick or sensationalistic stunt, but a natural character of the world, the zeitgeist of Berserk, if you will.

The flashback structure of the animation- the first episode is the present, and the remaining 24 episodes are flashback leading up to the first episode- lets viewers know that Guts, the protagonist, has suffered through a lot. Like a Shakespearean drama, the appeal is not in the climax, but in the narrative body. The viewer wants to know what happened to make Guts appear as he does in the first episode. That curiosity generates a desire to continue watching. The exceptionally well developed characterizations, and the series’ uncompromising willingness to deal with very mature topics in a mature way, including sex, homosexuality, child rape, patricide, the murder of children, loyalty, friendship, love and betrayal all create a fantasy that is totally convincing and continually surprising. And Berserk is very surprising. At first, the violence and somber, brooding atmosphere are almost shockingly blunt. Then the viewer is surprised by the humanity of the characters. For protagonists in a testosterone-laden male fantasy, the characters have the depth, personality and complexity of characters we’d expect to see in the very best shoujo anime like Fushigi Yuugi, Hana Yori Dango or Oniisama E… And it is the epic quality of the characters that leads to the epic and tragic twists and turns of the plot that generate the third surprise of the series. Grifith is the Byronic Hero. He is Manfred or Faust, willing to sell his soul to achieve greatness while tormented by that very same desire. Guts is the classic Japanese hero, exemplifying the epitome of the samurai bushido code- strong yet compassionate, honorable, loyal, singularly independent, civilized but never one to back down from a fight, and instant, unhesitating and superior in action like a Zen master. Casca, the woman between them, is nearly a perfect character. A strong, uncompromising leader, she provides a positive role model for female viewers, and provides a sort of ideal woman fantasy for male viewers. The third surprise I mentioned just briefly, is the very complex and unpredictable story. Because Berserk deals with very mature topics, adult themes and political intrigue in a thoroughly realistic and convincing way, while maintaining an uncompromising focus on multi-faceted characterizations and the ever-imminent possibility of sudden, violent death, the story in Berserk is never predictable, and the revelations and shocking plot twists are always affecting and dramatic without being sensational or melodramatic.

I was thrilled to hear of Urban Vision licensing Berserk because this is definitely a series that deserves greater recognition and a show that I believe many fans would love, if they had a chance to see it. Unfortunately, the most recent rumors have suggested that we may not see the series come to the US after all, by no fault of Urban Vision. According to rumor, the American license offered by the Japanese copyright owner does not include DVD distribution rights, and to license a new anime TV series for Western distribution without being able to issue a DVD version is, at this point in time, unquestionably a financially unacceptable proposition.