Berserk: Ougon Jidai-hen I - Haou no Tamago

I absolutely love Beserk, but the animation (specifically the weird 3D rotoscope-esque stuff) is terrible and distracting. As a fan of the series, I think non-manga readers will enjoy walk away from this piece feeling confused and without answers. Far too much is left out - if you are interested in Beserk, watch the 1997 series and read the manga. The rating I've given here was elevated primarily by my bias as I was already a fan going into watching this. There are a few scenes I liked, and the non-3D animation was fine. If the entire film was in that style I certainly would've rated it much higher. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this, especially not to unindoctrinated viewers.

This needs some explaining and this could get lengthy. But it needs to be done really. Quick note; I watched a American-English dubbed version instead of the original Japanese version. This could have been part of why it gives me mixed feelings as you will read. Often the English dubs are really cringe and makes a mess of the original. So please keep that in mind, it could be the case here as well. Now I won't talk about the story directly so no spoilers are given away. But I can talk about the story progression, which is all over the place. You get a lot of snippets of the past and the present at different times to see. However nothing is really in order, nothing is really following common sense either. This makes it most of all very difficult to follow. Now if this was done in a more decent way so you could actually follow the story, then it would actually be a great anime. This took away 2 points off for my taste. Now for the last missing point that I took off, this is due to the story not really saying much which makes it rather vanilla. This making in combination with the previous point makes it rather tiresome to watch. Now, I am from 1982 myself, so the "you don't get it because you're too young" doesn't fly as it's right in the window of my teens where I watched a lot of anime and cartoons overall. So I do know what I'm talking about. The graphics look rather 90's style, which in 2012 would be out dated clearly. Even now it looks rather dated. However you have to give credits to the studio for doing more research about actual European middle-ages then anime normally would get. A lot is actually very much aligned with realistic historical things. How banners would look, armor to a degree, weapons and even clothing. Yes it very clearly did get a fantasy treatment but well within reason. This while the hairstyles are a mixed between realistic and anime depending on the character. I still have more a mixed feeling about this anime, due to it's major storyline problem.

To preface, I have read the manga before watching this, so a lot of my review will be talking about how well the material is adopted, rather than how it is by itself. Most other works I wouldn't do this but Berserk the exception in that the manga itself has such a high quality that any narrative change will probably be for the detriment. This will have slight spoilers. Story: Because the movie is only 70ish minutes, I understand and am disappointed in the details they couldn't show in the order they were told in the manga. While it felt coherent because they left out details that don't make the cut, not having it makes fights not as impactful and not knowing the reason for doing things. Except for Guts' upbringing and the talk on the ramparts after one of the first battles, most of the important scenes are captured and done well. Art: In terms of the talking moments and exposition, the artwork and directing is captivating. The character detail of the main 3 are super spot on and makes their interactions super captivating to watch. Where this movie really takes a nosedive at times is in their blending of 2D and 3D. Their use of 3D is nice, creating the big vistas and sense of scale the manga is known for. It is in the moment to moment where they are going in and out of 3D where you notice small details like the 3D models not having that same level of detail or moving in slightly more awkward ways than in 2D. I commend them for trying but blending the two a little more would have made moments far more enjoyable. Sound: This may be the type of movie that is better to watch with headphones. I watched this on my TV and noticed the dialogue was so much quieter than background music at times, requiring me to change the volume around 5 or 6 times throughout the experience to be able to hear properly. The voice acting itself was really good and music choice was not what I imagined, but still made scenes enjoyable. Enjoyment: Much of my enjoyment of this film came from seeing the important scenes done justice. While fights might be wonky at times, the moments where characters are talking were super enjoyable to witness and make it worth it for me.

Reviews if you don't have time. *SPOILER-FREE* “Berserk” despite not needing introduction is a manga adaptation with Studio 4oC at the front of animation and what an expectation did they were expected to meet by animating one of if not the best manga ever drawn. And comparing to the 3D animation disaster that is “Berserk (2016)” it did a decent job. As far as animation goes, despite not being absolutely appalling, I can comfortably say that it was far from the quality that a manga like “Berserk” deserved. Some actions were clunky and not very detailed, the art-style was a lot less impactful or terrifying. The fights were mediocre and not that overwhelming as it was supposed plus, the emotions and terrifying moments that exist don’t flow or express themselves as well. The plot is really good, or at least where it follows the source material, and the characters are unique and very detailed in a physical and emotional level. The music is actually one of the best things in the animes adaptations and is something that complements the show. Plus, in my opinion was a decent attempt to make an adaptation on a budget of “Berserk” and still did a lot better than its predecessor. The big problem with this adaptation is that it could never reach the level of intensity or storytelling that the manga has. Each and every scene is just a reminder of how amazing a perfect adaptation could be. It is not a bad show if it was original (not saying that it would be a good one either) but the bad aspects get that more aggravated by how good the source material is.

The first in a trilogy of movies which follow the Golden age arc which is probably the most famous and well loved Berserk story. It's the origin of Guts, a hard as nails swordsman who joins a group of mercenaries called The band of the hawk and his relationship with it's charismatic leader Griffith. It all takes place in a semi-realistic medieval setting but it progresses to include supernatural and full on horror elements. The movie isn't very long at 77 minutes so if you've seen the 1997 anime series which is based on the same arc then it might be a bit jarring at how quickly the story plays out and how it skips over important moments. Just think of it as a streamlined version of the arc. The characters aren't as deep as they are in the series but it works fine for a what it is and the plot is easy to follow for non fans. Voice actors from 97 also return to play Guts, Griffith and Casca. The animation is impressive with some beautiful backgrounds and the characters look crisp and vibrant, it blends 2D and 3D animation pretty much seamlessly. The large combat scenes are fast, fluid and more violent than the series with dismemberment, beheadings and eyeballs popping out. It's not for the faint of heart but if you like this style then it's pretty awesome. The animation in the original series is fine but hasn't aged all that well so it was a real treat to see such high quality work here. I would say watch the 1997 series first because you will have a greater understanding of the lore and characters but this is still top notch action anime set in a dark fantasy world.

This review is for those who’ve never watched/read Berserk. The opening of the movie was interesting, there is something about Guts eyes and the the directing from that point forward was amazing. there is a lot of bloodshed. After the end of the first scene you would think that Guts is unconquerable, he kinda is but there will be someone ahead of him. From that point on the story is more about Griffith and Guts’ friendship or is it a leader/follower relationship. Watch the movie, its pretty entertaining. Personally I am a huge Berserk fan!! I’m kinda disappointed because I really wanted to see more of the manga in the movie. Though the directing was amazing. Its pretty much a recap of the first 10 episodes or so of the anime. It had good graphics but I really wished that they would make it like what happened after the anime rather than a remake of what happened in the anime. so yeah that’s that.