Berserk (1997)
"Guts is a skilled swordsman who joins forces with a mercenary group named 'The Band of the Hawk', lead by the charismatic Griffith, and fights with them as they battle their way into the royal court."
Watching Berserk for the first time, I was very immersed in the aesthetic & time period of the show. I think, even after 20+ years, it's a very unique setting and feel. If you want a good medieval times anime, Berserk should be your go-to.
The highlight for me, of course, was the 3 main characters - Guts, Griffith, and Caska. Guts by far had the most interesting story. We see how he went from an outcast little boy to a man, and then from a hardcore soldier to a friend. His experience with Hawks changed him and it was fun to see throughout his journey. Griffith was, however, the most interesting character. He always came across as mysterious yet trusting, almost like a godly figure to others (of course). He had an airy and almost flirtatious personality about him, yet was very powerful as a leader. And he was very layered, which I'll get back to in a bit. And for Caska, I was honestly annoyed at first. I would say half way through I warmed up to her as she went from a whiny girl to the warrior she was supposed to be from the beginning. Her comrades already saw her as strong, but Guts disrupted her peace and it took a while for us to get to that side of her. She went through her own spiritual journey as she continued to fight and be a symbol of girl power.
Overall, I loved the story. Pacing was well done. The side characters had personality and were very likeable. It was very satisfying seeing the Hawks move up the ranks as they won battle after after battle. But then the last fourth of the show happened.....
Dang, the death of the Queen was a huge turning point. Guts leaving was another turning point as well - Not just for the story, but for Griffith's character. We finally see Griffith fail immediately after his biggest win yet. And on top of that, he lost a friend, maybe more than that. In what I saw as a gay rage, Griffith made love to the princess (borderline rape if you ask me...). By doing so, he signed himself up for a year of crippling torture and allowed his people to be exiled. It was the point of no return for everybody.
This final arc in the last part of Berserk was very interesting, more so given that we were now dealing with supernatural elements, such as demons and gods. There was always a supernatural undertone when it came to Griffith and his charm. but up until this point it was almost nonexistent. It was almost out of place however it was also alluded to for so long. The finale was just a hodgepodge of "what the heck is going on?" I was shocked watching that episode. All of our favorite side characters that we grew attached to were brutally killed. And it didn't stop there. That final interaction between Guts and Griffith was so dark...
And just like that it was over. From the way I see it, the whole show was backstory the the very first episode. But even then, I hate to admit I was very unsatisfied. And I did research on the movies and the manga to no avail. Take away all the context of the production of the manga and anime - the point being is that Berserk has no ending. And what is so disappointing about this is the fact that the universe and the story were so good, and there was so much left open that we will never get to explore. Berserk had so much potential and I hate that we will never see a satisfactory conclusion to such an amazing story.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆