Berserk: The Box of War (6 Discs) (Review)
Sunday, 13th September 2009, 16:23

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Wow! I wasn’t expecting ‘Berserk’, a macho looking medieval swords and battles romp made over a decade ago, to be anywhere near as good as it was. It really is fantastic – certainly up there with my favourite anime series, and as good as anything I’ve seen this year (with the possible exception of the sublime ‘Mushi Shi’).

 
Whilst the animation looks a little primitive by today’s standards, with no visual anime cliché left unturned, it more than makes up for this with a humdinger of an adventure story that digs deep into the psyche of its central characters. Whilst ‘Berserk’ may be all about ultra-violent sword fighting on one level, on another it is almost religiously poetic, serving up the most jaw-dropping conclusion committed to the small screen since the final episode of ‘The Prisoner’.  (It needs to be seen to be believed!)

  
Berserk is based on a popular Manga by Kentarou Miuras (which, for all I know, is still being written). It’s a dark and depressing tale that follows a central character called ‘Guts’ (who is a little like the lead in ‘Fist of the North Star’ – all brawn and bluster). Guts is a mercenary who becomes a follower / ally to the leader of the Band of the Hawk, Griffith, a quasi- religious guru with huge charisma, blind ambition and incredible fighting prowess. Guts proves to be his most valuable soldier, proving himself again and again in bloody battles, leading the troops to greater and greater victory whilst his comrade Griffith uses brain power and politics to better their cause, with a view to eventual domination of the lands.  

 
The story is something of an addictive saga, spread out across 26 episodes over 6 discs, and whilst the tale follows a definable, almost historic course, it is the relationships between the leading characters that make the show so compelling.
 
Guts devotion to Griffith is complex and confusing. Griffith assumes the position of ‘superior’ but seems attracted to Guts purely because he thinks he has found an equal. Guts is enamoured by Griffith because of the seeming righteousness of his vision and the passion and energy that Griffith puts into his cause.

 
Equally beholden to Griffith is Casca, a ‘Grrrrl’ soldier, rescued by Griffith when she was just a child from the hands of a rapist, she is beholden to him and his cause.  She too is a fearless and formidable fighter, almost Griffith and Guts equal. As the series develops it’s clear that, despite a stormy start to their relationship, she has feelings for Guts he in turn has feelings for her. In fact, it is the strength of these feelings and the knowledge of the circumstances of her arrival to the Band of the Hawk that makes the ending episode so powerful and difficult to watch (hope I’m not giving too much away!).

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