Berserk: A bonfire of dreams.

Well, well, well, Berserk...Berserk is so many things that I don't think I will be able to talk about it in just one post, so I will refer only to the 1997 version of the anime. If you expect to read something about the black swordsman that is not in the anime, this might not be the place for you...or perhaps it is, don't leave me.

To begin with, it is important to clarify a few things, Berserk (1997) is an anime adaptation of the manga also called Berserk, written by Kentaro Miura (all hail lord Miura). The anime was created by the Japanese studio 'Oriental Light & Magic' and it tells the story of the "Golden Age" arc, which is one of the most popular parts of the manga. The soundtrack is created by Sumusu Hirasawa and it is probably one of the coolest things you will ever find (I dare you to say the opposite). If you are looking for that classic aesthetic of 90's anime, Berserk is probably where you should start. The artwork is beautiful and conveys emotions by itself, which improves even further beyond if you add the pieces created by Hirasawa. In terms of animations...well, it could be better but it isn't. I'm saying this just to take the argument out of the way. Berserk (1997) is not memorable by the fast-paced action, in fact, it probably never tried to achieve that, Berserk is all about its characters.

Berserk (1997) is the waltz danced by Guts, Griffith and Casca, taking one of the most critically acclaimed arcs in Seinen manga and developing its silences at their peak. Berserk slowly develops the relationship between the previously mentioned characters. The admiration Casca feels for Griffith, the yearning of Griffith's dream and the hell through which Guts has walked his entire life. These relationships change, mutate and evolve in just 25 episodes. The anime finishes and makes you think you need more, and perhaps that's the idea of it. However, there is something you can be certain about, those 25 episodes will tell you that Guts, Griffith and Casca are special.

As in every good story, we need a protagonist and hero, Guts fulfills his role but apathetically and without morals. Guts is the protagonist but maybe not our hero. Guts is just Guts. Raised by a mercenary after being born from the corpse of his mother, Guts grows to learn how to swing his sword and endure the darkest side of humanity. Already grown up, Guts sees himself involved with troubles and fighting with burglars who try to steal his money. However, these were not just simple burglars, they were members of The Band of The Hawk, Griffth's loyal soldiers. After losing in a duel against Griffith, Guts is forced to join The Band of The Hawk, something that allows him to meet Casca, Judeau, Pippin, Rickert, Corkus, Gaston and many more along the way. The band will represent a rich and vast part of the story since they will bring out a side of Guts that, at that time, it seemed unknown.

Guts will not be the only captivating character in this journey, Griffith will also play a fundamental role in the world created by Miura. Griffith is the perfect opposite for Guts, he is a natural-born genius filled with charisma, a wonderful knight in whom everyone trusts, so much that his soldiers are willing to risk their life to help him reach his dream. Griffith has an unyielding determination to accomplish his goals, but everything changes when he meets Guts. Casca, seeing the sudden change in Griffith and how she has been replaced, secretly begrudged Guts' presence. These relationships will be fostered by subtle storytelling and simple details as the willingness of characters to talk or even in the way they look at each other. This is a short glimpse of the waltz that evolves and develops throughout the 25 episodes of the anime. Berserk is a waltz filled with beauty, rage, sadness, hope, and death.

For plenty of people, Berserk seems to be the story of a lonely beast who fights against life. However, this adaptation fulfills a simple idea, it shows Miura's understanding of human relationships. The anime does it through the silences and dialogues the characters share. The soundtrack and visual aspects only add more to what Miura masterfully crafted in his manga. Berserk (1997) manages to show characters in the darkest and most inhumanely ways possible, but it's also filled with hope and beauty. Kentaro Miura plays with the symbol of the hero and villain and it makes us constantly question what they are and how they function in his world. Nonetheless, if you want to experience this at its full, I highly recommend you to use Berserk (1997) as a way to introduce yourself into the manga.