Jul 18, 2023
When comparing the 90s anime, the og manga, as well as the movie editions (then better edited and broken up into the memorial edition), the best part about this particular adaptation is the momentary bursts of good animation, telling key parts of the story through the use of certain shots that were not taken directly from the manga. the first two-thirds of the series corresponds to the first two movies. I have no hate towards these parts - they are fine/average adaptations of doldrey and the early parts of guts adventure.
Still, anime adaptations of berserk suffer in that they dont include key details
...
that further enrich golden age's excellent narrative. The memorial edition still doesn't put enough effort in developing guts and griffith relationship, as it omits key parts where griffith's combination of innocence and ability captures guts. A large drawback of this adaptation is that they dont include the scene where griffith contemplates the limits of his dream as he finds a young soldier that joined the band of the hawk out of admiration, but died "because of his dream." Other crucial scenes were also omitted, such as Griffith and Casca's conversation in the lake after his trade with gennon; even the part with the queen of midland was completely erased. Wyald, the funny apostle, also isnt here. For all the berserk fans that find griffith a truly compelling villain (me included), this is a disappointing issue within the movies, and it persists in the memorial edition.
the adaptations greatest strength comes in the strength of an adaptation. The music is spot on, the animation is alright - downright bad in some scenes (3d) but great in others, and some of the directing decisions really emphasize the positives of animation as a medium. When the stars all align, it creates an moments like episode 11, where the potential of a berserk anime adaptation truly shines. Instead of being negative of the dubious future of the berserk franchise, i think the memorial edition is a good way to look back at the entire franchise. For fans, its a great way to revisit narrative peakas well as experience berserk in animation again. For those interested in berserk, it is a good way to get into the fandom. the memorial edition is a good entry point if you wanted a taste of berserk before fully diving into the manga. If the lazy ass production team couldve done a little more refining the edges of the 3 movies, this would be a great golden age adaption. though its good, bereserk memorial edition is not great.
Hopefully, following animations of berserk could take the creativity of the berserk movies/memorial edition, but also stay faithful to the plot and pacing of the original work
8
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
