Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2012
If the name of this anime adaptation sounds familiar, its probably because the arc it covers is the same as the 1997 anime. So whats the difference? Why remake something that was close to perfect, to begin with?
Well for starters, unlike the first anime, this one comprises of 3 feature-length films.
- Berserk: Golden Age Arc I – The Egg of the King
- Berserk: Golden Age Arc II – The Battle for Doldrey
- Berserk: Golden Age Arc III – The Advent
The animations style in these movies is a mix of traditional digital animation and CGI. Although certain scenes look polished and well crafted, there are many that feel rushed and have janky 3d animation.
Since these three movies condense 24 episodes worth of content, a lot of the story feels rushed. Many great scenes are skipped over in this adaptation, however, there are some extras here, which were not present in the 1997 anime. Also, theres less censorship in the movies of both gore and sexual scenes. And it should go without saying that the animation is way more fluid compared to the static images of the first anime.
So is this one worth watching?
Well maybe, as it adds new pieces to the puzzle with its extra story beats. However, go into this one only after watching the original, as that one is more well-crafted.
Regarding the dub, its still pretty good.
Fist Of The North Star
Fist of the North Star, also known as Hokuto no Ken, is a series that every anime fan has heard of. It follows the characteristics of other novel seinen series, particularly with its male-dominated, ‘save the helpless woman’ sort of vibe. However, similar to that of Berserk, it follows the story of a man, Kenshiro, as he searches his post-apocalyptic wasteland for his missing fiancee, Yuria, who was taken away by a jealous rival. This is similar to that of Guts, after the Eclipse, continues to protect his love interest, Casca, who had lost her memory and reverts to a child-like state due to the horrific act that was done to her at the hands of his then closest comrade, Griffith. Both series have overtly muscular men putting their lives on the line for a woman and said woman being stolen forcefully by someone who was once trusted.
Berserk: The Ultimate Watch Order Guide
Berserk is a legendary manga that has spanned over 30 years and 40 collected volumes and is still going strong to this day. Considered by many to be the greatest manga ever made, its definitely series creator, Kintarou Miuras magnum opus. The story of Berserk perfectly balances action, drama, philosophy, and superb character development, but be advised its not for the faint of heart.
If youre thinking of jumping into the series, I would highly recommend you start with the manga as that is the definitive way of consuming this amazing story. Miuras art, pacing and panel design is phenomenal in every aspect of the word. However, if youre an anime-only person and youre wondering with which out of the three anime adaptations to start with this is the guide for you. Here you will find the right order in which to watch the Berserk anime adaptations along with info on what each does right and wrong.
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The Most Iconic Berserk Characters
Like any good story, Berserk wouldnt be half as good without a cast of characters who leave lasting impressions. More than most series out there, Berserk runs rampant with people, or specifically not people, that dont fit any stereotypical molds.
From series mainstays like The Immortal Zodd who, unlike his fellow Apostles, does not overindulge by feasting on humans and instead savors battle to the post-Golden Age crew like Farnesse, who used to be a devout follower of the church but now strives to learn magic to aid Guts and company.
Absolutely everyone in Berserk is worth getting to know and has a surprising amount of nuance to their personality, but there are three main characters this tale revolves around. Lets break them down.
Problem In Adapting Berserks Manga For Everybody
There are inherent challenges to adapting a manga sequence or gentle novel sequence into an anime, from pacing to animation high quality and discovering appropriate voice actors, and Berserk is especially difficult, as the 2 present anime reveals already show. One problem is the intense nature of Berserks content material. Whereas Berserk hardly ever, if ever, stoops to shallow shock worth in its chapters, the fabric is notoriously R-rated, from graphic motion scenes to unspeakable acts vividly depicted within the panels, and they arent appropriate even for a seinen anime sequence.
Not even Vinland Saga goes so far as Berserk does, and animators needed to edit or take away such content material within the two Berserk anime diversifications. This compromise may upset Berserk purists, who know that the sequence true impression comes from its unflinching depiction of sheer brutality and darkness. It is the center of the sequence, and sanitizing it dilutes what makes Berserk so iconic.
In fact, the animators might at all times invent their very own ending to conclude the anime, however as Recreation of Thrones and the 2003 model of Fullmetal Alchemist each present, alternate continuations from the unique materials may not work out to followers satisfaction. It could possibly be a lose-lose scenario for the anime both it merely stops, or it makes up a dangerous ending that will upset or disappoint its many followers.
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Ii Bad Animation Quality
While the original manga was created with precision and great attention to detail, the anime yielded a very dull and boring product.
While the manga built a very intricate world, the two anime adaptations did not achieve even half of what the manga did. The world-building was not as intricate and hence, was not as believable.
While the 1997 anime adaptation still did a fair amount of justice to the story, the 2016 version was a complete flop. There is absolutely no need to consider watching that version. You will be left with a very bitter taste in your mouth.
Watching The Berserk Anime In Chronological Order
I dont recommend watching the Berserk anime adaptations in chronological order unless youve already seen them before. If thats the case, knock yourself out!
So heres the chronological order:
- Start with episodes 02-25 of the 1997 anime
- Watch the last 52 minutes of the movie Berserk: Golden Age Arc III – The Advent
- Check episode 1 of Berserk
- Watch episodes 1-24 of the 2016 version of the anime
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Berserk Anime: Do You Know The Actual Plot Twist
Berserk manga is considered to be one of the greatest. People surely have some cryptic things to say when it comes to the series adaptations. The three movies on Berserk anime have been acknowledged more on the other side.
If you have already read the manga then its a disclaimer for you that you may not enjoy the Berserk anime series to the same level. The story proceeds with the protagonist Guts being born from his mothers corpse and then getting adopted by women from the mercenaries. Soon after that, the woman dies, and then comes the terror for Guts. Guts are called the cursed child and resentment is held all around.
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He grows and becomes a powerful fighter who is quite careless at times. At this point arrives the second most important character, Griffith, who starts the tale of anger for Guts. In the way, Griffith betrays Guts for achieving powers merely for the self.
Guts seeks vengeance against him and also fights back to end the curse upon him and his beloved Casca. As he was the black swordsman, he was accompanied by the Elf Puck and his sword, the Dragonslayer.
Iii Deletion Of Some Crucial Parts Of The Plot
There were huge complaints about the non-inclusion of certain plot elements that had played a very crucial role in the manga. The 1997 version was under heavy criticism for taking a different plot trajectory and added to that, a poor execution.
While the popular anime Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood also explored a different plotline from the manga, both the versions have had overwhelmingly good reception.
The 2016 version was a continuation of the events that had transpired in other movies and the 1997 version, all set in the Berserk universe. It has been at the receiving end of harsh criticism for its unflattering adaptation and its dilution of many beautiful scenes in the manga.
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From Successful Manga To Several Anime Adaptations
Kentaro Miura first launched Berserk over 30 years ago in 1998, and the manga world still hasnt recovered from its impact. Miura has some of the most incredible pen-to-paper talents of any manga artist and the horrific world he builds throughout his tale is second to none.
Anyone with an active, vested interest in the medium is familiar with the title. A critical and fan favorite, the series has become part of the permanent internet sub-culture much like Neon Genesis Evangelion. Unfortunately though, despite being the ultimate manga epic, it lacks a satisfactory anime.
Preserving The Unique Berserk Mangas Artwork
Most popular culture followers know the phrase the book was better, and this typically applies to the manga trade as properly. Manga artists can pour their full skills onto the web page and create actually memorable and impactful artwork, and Kentaro Miura was well-known for this. His method, timing and a spotlight to element had been all impeccable, simply drawing epic battle scenes, breathtaking surroundings, expressive characters and intense feelings in 2D photographs. That is a part of Berserks attraction, and the 1997 anime fell far quick as a result of aged animation strategies, whereas the 2016 anime had iffy visuals by any normal. A 3rd Berserk anime would probably wrestle even with a comparatively giant finances.
Any anime adaptation of Berserk is assured to at the least partially lose the magic of the mangas artwork, and that is one thing inherent to all manga-to-anime diversifications. Some sequence are higher in manga type than anime type, equivalent to Tite Kubos Bleach, and Berserk isnt any totally different. A hypothetical third anime may dazzle newcomers with cutting-edge visuals, however whereas purists is likely to be impressed, they will not be actually glad, because the unique mangas artwork is the definitive imaginative and prescient of Berserk. Such a hypothetical Berserk anime may by no means please all followers directly, and would probably in the end fail to switch the manga because the definitive model of the story.
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Berserk’s Editorial Reportedly Wants To Continue The Manga
Update:Recently, Studio Gagas letter at the end of chapter 364 surfaced online. And after reading the letter, we found that that the editorial wants to continue with what Miuras wouldve wished if he was here. However, they arent sure if Miuras wish would be to continue or to end the series with chapter 364.
And with this Berserk Chapter 364 is out, the final chapter Miura worked on.The future of the series is unknown going forward but if this is where it ends this last chapter seems to be a good place. While part of me wishes their apprentice would continue I’m content with this.
Illy Does Vrtra
Original post
Berserk fans are finally close to getting Chapter 364 of the popular manga series. The upcoming chapter will presumably end the series however, theres a small chance that the Berserk manga might continue.
Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk is a popular Japanese manga that began in 1989. As of May 2021, the manga published around 363 chapters collected over 40 volumes. However, the entire community was shaken after Kentaro Miura passed away in May 2021 due to an aortic dissection.
A few months after Miura passed away, Studio Gaga confirmed that Berserk would get a new chapter on September 10th, 2021. Besides that, Volume 41 of the manga is scheduled to come out in Japan on December 24th, 2021.
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Berserk Golden Age Trilogy Part 1 Egg Of The King Trailer
Reasons Berserk Deserves The Netflix Castlevania Treatment
Netflix’s animated Castlevania series has been a success. Here’s why Berserk deserves the same treatment.
Animation, in general, has seen a surge of newfound appreciation in the west, with part of that due to anime going from hush niche genre to firmly part of mainstream popular culture. Western animation studios have been getting recruited to take stabs at anime-inspired projects, and Netflix is a big player in this. They’ve been greatly expanding their animation catalog in recent years. A huge part of that has been their hit Castlevania series.
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It’s coming into its final season, showing how worthwhile animated works can be. Meanwhile, Berserk is one of the most critically-acclaimed manga series in the industry but hasn’t been done enough justice in anime. It’s gotten some good adaptations, though, has recently squandered the potential of where it can go. With its successes, Netflix’s series could be a blueprint for how it can work now. Here are 10 reasons Berserk deserves the Castlevania treatment.
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I Difference In Medium
The two art forms manga and anime are completely different mediums which leads to different interpretations of the same thing. While the manga uses paneling, pacing, and strategic shading to highlight the plot, the anime is an audio-visual medium that uses sound and the illusion of moving images to do the same.
A manga like Berserk depends on the execution of a dreary atmosphere to make its impact. This is provided by the monochromatic color framework employed in the manga.
Whereas in the anime, the lack of attention to detail can be clearly seen. Also, it fails to capture the same atmosphere and emotions like the manga does.
The multi-coloured universe creates a drastically different atmosphere that would take a enormous effort to adjust. This can be a huge turn off for many hardcore fans.
Anime Popularity In The West
The aforementioned climb in popularity of anime, specifically in the west, is definitely a reason for adapting a new Berserk series with some Castlevania flavor. Animation as a whole has been more appreciated westward beyond whatever the next Disney Pixar movie is.
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It’s a legitimate storytelling format that can appeal to any demographic with its own set of unique advantages vs. live-action. That includes anime, as series like Attack on Titan are lighting the internet up with love, discussion, and debate. It’s firmly in the mainstream now, and with Berserk being a titan on its own, it’s time to strike while the iron’s hot.
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Why You Should Read The Manga Instead
If you really want to love this plot and you wonder whats missing after watching the anime, you should first read the manga. The manga addresses every nook and corner of the plot leaving relatively fewer plot holes.
The anime is riddled with a series of plot holes and confusion as crucial scenes have been removed all together. You will be left feeling more confused.
The manga is the original product of the mangaka. It does justice to the plot through its emotionally engaging fight scenes and beautifully elaborated settings.
Difficulty In Adapting Berserk’s Manga For Everyone
There are inherent challenges to adapting a manga series or light novel series into an anime, from pacing to animation quality and finding suitable voice actors, and Berserk is particularly challenging, as the two existing anime shows already prove. One challenge is the extreme nature of Berserk‘s content. While Berserk rarely, if ever, stoops to shallow shock value in its chapters, the material is notoriously R-rated, from graphic action scenes to unspeakable acts vividly depicted in the panels, and they are not suitable even for a seinen anime series.
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Not even Vinland Saga goes as far as Berserk does, and animators had to edit or remove such content in the two Berserk anime adaptations. This compromise might upset Berserk purists, who know that the series’ true impact comes from its unflinching depiction of sheer brutality and darkness. It’s the heart of the series, and sanitizing it dilutes what makes Berserk so iconic.
Of course, the animators could always invent their own ending to conclude the anime, but as Game of Thrones and the 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist both show, alternate continuations from the original material might not work out to fans’ satisfaction. It could be a lose-lose situation for the anime — either it simply stops, or it makes up a risky ending that may upset or disappoint its many fans.
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Theres No Perfect Berserk Anime
No anime has ever been able to do the Berserk manga or its fans justice. Animators have brought the comics to life not once, not twice, but on three separate occasions The classic Berserk , the odd Golden Age Arc Berserk Movie Trilogy, and the horror simply known as Berserk .
Were not saying that every Berserk anime is bad! In fact, at least two of the three are quite worth watching, but for reasons well get into below, theyre all missing something.
The most recent attempt to animate Berserk , was a critical and commercial failure, and its hard to imagine a fourth attempt happening anytime soon. If youve read all the manga and you need something to tide you over until the next batch of chapters come out, you might want to give one of these a shot to satisfy your fix.