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Old school horror manga that follows the monster of the week formula by a seasoned mangaka. It is pretty weak in terms of plot like so many other japanese horror stories, whatever the medium, but rahter puts its emphasis on spectacle. Bad things just happen to people. It is very fatalistic without granting much agency to its characters or providing a moral message. The author does however include an explanation of the supernatural forces at play at the end of every chapter, killing potential mystery but also washing away potential criticism of illogicality.

School is a battleground. Ghosts haunt schools because that's where people meet ... and channel their emotions. Girls grasp for air and clutch their hands in front of their faces while staring wide eyed at the hellish forces at play which are based on urban legends which lets the manga set roots in reality. The art style is fittingly gloomy and old school and more generic as opposed to the more cartoonish works of Hideshi Hino. One of his favorite tropes, body horror, is pervasive throughout a variety of the short stories. Beautiful doe eyed protagonists and deformed demons inhabit this bleak world.

Horror fills out a rather small niche in manga so there is a limited set of options to choose from and Hideshi Hino is one of the more prolific mangaka who inhabits this tiny space. If you are interested in his work and want a break from his standard style or you just appreciate japanese ghost stories you should give "100 Schoiol Ghost Stories" a shot otherwise this entry offers little to you.

Underrated ero-guro artist Maruo Suehiro whose early works regularly make an appearance in plenty "Most disturbing anime" videos on YouTube. First things first, "Inugami Hakase" is not ero-guro. Yes, it is grotesque, yes, it is violent but eroticism does not play an essential role although it still exists on the outskirts. Instead, skilled illustrator that he is, Suehiro shows off his matured art style and plays with images of occultism. Visually the result is quite expressive. Panels are rarely wasted.

While Suehiro's older works are like a fever dream that ooze of (extremely) dark hum,or but still manage to convey genuine feelings about the yearning for ... human connection albeit hidden under layers of disgust and horror "Inugami Hakase" is different. It does not seem to have an interest to say much about anything at all which is not to say there is nothing to enjoy about it. Thnk of a much more cynical "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders" with fewer body builders and more dread. Pacing is tight, tension is high and the panels effortlessly flow into each other. Signs of a seasoned mangaka who knows what he's doing.

In the 90s Suehiro tried his hand at more easily accessible works with broader mainstream appeal as opposed to his ero-guro ways of the prior decade which were mainly plattformed by legendary avant-garde magazine Garo that was long past it's prime. While he never established himself as a major figure in the mainstream he still saw some success, this work being published in a bnig magazine like Young Champion being a sign of that. In some ways "Inugami Hakase" feels like a test run for "The Laughing Vampire" which Suehiro would produce a few years later and is arguably his best work. It's worth a read for that reason alone, especially of you're a fan.

"Bad Police" is a pretty run off the mill 80s action manga covering alot of the tropes one might expect from an entry like that. The episodic paper thin plot follows a trigger happy cop on a roaring motorbike who doesn't play by the rules but brings in the results the police force seems to desperately need amid the chaos of the crime ridden city jungle. Irredeemable gangsters, bank robbers, thrill killers and vigilantes run aomok while corrupt politicians, bleeding heart journalists and pencil pushing colleagues do their best to keep our protagonist to fulfill his role as judge, jury and executioner. Morality is black ... and white.

The art style is reminiscent of popular shounen jump entries of the time like the iconic "Fist of the North Star" with expressive faces, decent gore (especially the head shots), exaggerated body proportions and shinz steeled tools of the quintessential action hero i.e. motor bikes and fire arms. Panel layout is solid but nothing too crazy and does a decent job in keeping the action easily digestible which also goes for "Bomber" and "Altemis" which are one shots included in the volume and seem to be failed pilots of planned series that never materialized. It's easy to see why, sharing some of the strenghts but also the weaknesses of "Bad Police" while lacking the laid back coolness of its super cop.

All in all "Bad Police" mnakes for a fun although brief and forgettable read. It's meat and potatoes. You know what you're getting into and you get exactly that and not a smidge more, no surprises. If you like action manga from the golden age of shounen manga you'll have a good time otherwise look for something else.

"Berserk" is probably the most universally beloved manga of all time and with Kentaro Miuras passing there is no doubt it will be remebered as a unfinished masterpiece (or will it?). The first anime adaptation came out in 1997 and covers the Black Swordsman Arc although very briefly and the Golden Age Arc which is usually regarded as the high point of the legendary manga. So from the get go the accompanying anime has gigantic shoes to fill. The question is: Does the adaptation do the source material justice?

The anime follows its source material pretty closely safe for a few bits. Whereas some of the ... trimming of the content is not optimal but understandable such as the decision to rush through the Black Swordsman Arc to get to the Golden Age Arc sooner while setting up the harsh, unforgiving world of "Berserk" and establishes the existence of supernatural forces in other instances i.e. Griffiths rescue is much more rushed which doesn't impair the story although it would have added some more action. Some of these cuts probably fell to the series limitation of 25 episodes and hinder the anime to be an all encompassing opus but safe for one instance no major story element is being left out.

The exception is the cutting of the sexual violence of Gambino towards Guts. It might be understandable from a commercial point of view but takes away from Guts characterization, makes it harder to understand his inability to truly connect with people and mitigates the brutality and hopelessness of the setting. In other parts sexual violence are less graphic than the manga too but are still left in the adaptation which was a better solution to the problem.

Character forming moments are given enough breathing space and are generally well paced. An exception was Guts battle against one hundred soldiers where our protagonist reflects upon his nature and comes to terms with how life has shaped him while doing what he has done his whole life: Swinging his sword. In the manga its a beautiful piece of visceral story telling that's really in your face with highlighting Guts' disposition. In the anime it lacks focus. There are too many pauses in between the slaughter and the internal monlogue which blended together perfectly in the manga and fused in a way that made the battle greater than the sum of its parts.

Visually "Berserk" works with a rather light colour palette which is a bit surprising considering the grim tone but synergizes well with the Golden Age Arc, its themes and background art but is suboptimal for when the supernatural elements come into play. Femto is not pitch black but dark purple, same goes for Zodd and when the apostles have fur it just look a bit goofy with these plain colours. They lack depth and look too cartoonish as opposed to robust and infernal. A stark black and white contrast would have worked way better especially during the Sacrifice although its still serviceable. The backgrounds are a bit too bland sometimes and tend to have too little motion (i.e. campfires) yet they are nice to look at if you like late 90s anime.

Regarding the character designs it would have taken a herculean effort to transfer the sheer amount and depth of details from the manga even with current technical capabilities so it's no surprise the anime can't hold the candle to its source material although it still does a pretty good job. Faces are not as detailed and complex as they ought to be at all times from all angles which is to be expected but still convey a wide range of emotions and are pleasing to look at regardless. Designs of the Band of the Hawk are accurate except for one exception. Cascas' complexion is too brown and her lips are too pink which looks weird. Also Guts Golden Age Arcs armor could have been a tad darker but that's just a sidenote. Griffiths hair could have looked more natural and dynamic with current animation techniques. Overall character designs are this adaptations strong suit.

Action focused scenes restricted by the technology of the time and are nothing fancy nor experimental but rather standard visually and vary in quality also in regards to pacing although there are no major blunders. Gore is not as excessive as in the manga. The lack of guts and slashed off body parts are compensated for with alot of blood which takes away from the heaviness of action and mitigates the horror surrounding the characters which is a problem because it explains their motives and dispositions. An example for this would be the torture Griffith was subjected to which later on set off his decision to sacrifice his fellowship for his dream by rendering him otherwise impotent. The issue is that Griffith's appearance after he got freed from the torture chambers does not match up his actions. His body looks less mangled than in the manga which undermines the severity of his condition in contrast to the uncompromosing harshness of his sacrifice. It still makes sense but a story that tells itself viscerally, meaning largely by the use of bodies thrown in a hostile world that threats on them while they fight for their place in life, should not resort to trimming of its edges. Sexual violence is often times more hinted at and less graphic which has the same effect as the censorship of regular violence. Love scenes are also less raw and mature.

Sound Design is a mixed back. While the soundtrack contains some great tracks, the highlight being Guts' mesmerizing theme song of course and highlights and elevates plot points and character building moments in a way the manga as a purely visual medium couldn't, the sound effects can't always keep up with that. The main issue are the sound effects for Guts sword slashes being subpar. They lack "weight" audibly compared to the powerful swings which leave nothing but destruction visually (in the manga even more so than in the anime). Guts striking down every obstacle that fate throws at him is quintessential to "Berserk" which is why shortcomings in this tiny bit of sound design in the grand scheme of things are so detrimental to the experience. The varying chunks of metal Guts carries with him throughout his journey are his closest companion and its own character in its own way.

"This isn't my dream. This is something closer to me. Yes, it's a part of my body."

It's Guts main way of interacting with his surroundings. Clashing swords with his opponents create sparks which he equates to life. Igniting his own spark is what he aims to do in his struggle against fate. The blade plays into Guts' brutish appearance, make his iconic silhouette as recognizable as it is and also creates a stark contrast to Griffiths angelic demeanor who was guided by destiny, temporarily owned Guts' in the literal sense of the word and ultimately chose to embrace fate.

Fittingly the series ends on a very dark note with the culmimation of the Band of the Hawks sacrifice. After the credits we catch a glimpse of Guts now shaped into a new man, the Black Swordsman, taking his new sword from the blacksmith and stepping outside into new age which was pretty great farewell to the series.

I'm not sure "Berserk" would be the classic that it is today if for the anime alone. A good, maybe great anime, yes but ultimately cannot keep up with the manga. It focuses in the greatest Arc, adds a great soundtrack to it, has good but not great pacing, does a well enough job visually without reaching Miuras' potential and undermines itself with censorship. It still is the greatest adaptation by far and worth checking out for Guts' theme and Miuras writing alone.