Berserk 1997 Is Special 

Note: I state that the 97 show is the only adaptation that Miura played a part in but in reality he also aided in the production of the 2016 anime with some storyboard work. Overlooked mistake on my end, apologies for that.

the amount of money I would pay to see the rest of the beserk storyline animated and voice acted by the same people and the same style as in 97 is insane

That point about Berserk ‘97 making you want to read the manga immediately after is 100% spot on; the second it ended, I needed to know what was next. This video was excellent btw :) your dedication to doing this video justice absolutely translates to the final product. Well done 👏🏻🖤

The 1997 anime is what got me into berserk. I love the animation style. Gut’s theme is beautiful

Hate is a place where a man who can't stand sadness goes.

It also gave us the most memorable opening, I will never forget to put my grasses on.

I watched the 1997 adaptation a couple of years ago and was fascinated by its atmosphere. The most interesting and hypnotic part to me was absence of music in so many scenes. Often a scene was accompanied by sounds of nature which made the world of Berserk feel real. And whenever the music started, it felt important. Thanks for the video, I enjoyed listening to your opinion!

It's hard to believe that the 90s Berserk anime was animated by the same studio that animated pretty much the entirety of the pokemon series.

Berserk ‘97 was the first anime I ever watched because of dark souls, I loved it.

Taking puck out I think made the anime better tbh. When I watched it as a teenager for the first time it hit me much harder when the ceremony started. Nosferatu zodd was the only character that showed anything other than a normal human based medieval setting, so the ending hit way harder after episode after episode of character development.

The 1997 Berserk anime often isn’t given the credit it deserves.

I generally don't watch much anime as I find even the good stories are often lathered in tropes that I don't enjoy. Berserk 1997 is one of my favourite shows ever, though. There are so few bells/whistles and the story is unmatched. The wild highs/lows mixed in with the super tranquil, quiet scenes with just dialogue and ambience makes the whole thing so impactful. Love everything about it. I wish the rest of the story had a similar quality telling in the same format.

Funnily enough I watched Berserk (1997) after catching up to Ch. 364, and it still shattered my heart into a million pieces. It's a dated but undeniably beautiful anime, despite the censoring and all the things it left out. Awesome video, Grim!! And #ThankYouMiura ❤️‍🩹

You can say whatever the FREAK you want about this adaptation, but the fact that it only adapts one arc and a minimal fraction of another and yet it is is MAL top 100 and in IMDB top 250, says a lot about how well received it was 🔥.

This exerpt from Nakatani Toshio from the same interview also highlights a potential thematic reasoning for ending at The Eclipse. "As far as the storyline goes, there is a pivotal event called “The Great Eclipse”, you will know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen it. It is the end of a segment of the story. Berserk is a fantasy animation, but the Great Eclipse ends on a very dark and gloomy note. We went back and forth about ending it at the Great Eclipse, but we felt the theme was a priority. Like I mentioned earlier, we wanted to express their struggles and passions. There were young, passionate characters in the Band of the Hawk, and we opted to prioritize their characters. And at the very end, when you see the Great Eclipse, you get a sense of their ferocity. And the emptiness and their breakdown can be a part of youth experience. I wanted to broadcast up until the Great Eclipse so I could convey this. There is a character called Puck who appears in the original story - we went back and forth on this, too. In the original Berserk comic by Mr. Miura, Puck plays a major role and is integral to Berserk, but in the animation of Berserk, Puck was taken out of the picture and it diminishes the fantastical nature a bit, but the lead characters and Guts and Griffith’s passion became the focus and became the common thread throughout the series. So with Mr. Miura’s permission, it was decided." "Thank you very much for watching. It would mean a lot to us if you could catch even a glimpse of our passion for this project. From here on out, the true theme that lies dormant, the theme behind the theme, the various things that surface when humans engage in their battles, like nihilism or hope or despair. If we can get this across, the secrets of those emotions, this project will be a success. The manga Berserk still continues, so as a producer, I would like to continue to animate the story beyond the Great Eclipse. If and when this happens, I hope that you will continue to watch and that we will continue to hear from you. Thank you very much."

I’ll tell you what, I completely forgot about the parts in the 97’ where there put the drawings on the screen and it really did impact the viewing experience for me. Super cool

the 97 version of berserk is one of my favorite anime because the animation from the 90s fits the dark fantasy aesthetic so well. I wish a team picked up berserk and continued to animate the story in the same style.

Breserk is not only, in my opinion, the greatest manga of all time, but it's one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time.

Ive rewatched Berserk 1997, and each time it left me in a dreary but inspired state. It is THE Berserk anime. People saying its dated do not seem to see how well its aesthetic fits. Remember this is from the 90s. You can watch it without reading the manga and consider the end of it.. the end. The music is also very heavy and perfect. The manga is more detailed ofcourse, but if you want to experience Berserk, this is it.

My personal favorite story of all time. Period and I'll die with it.

Oddly enough, for me it was the Dreamcast game that first introduced me to Berserk. I beat the game making special note of the extremely long and thorough cutscenes as well as the incredible music. It was years later that a buddy of mine told me it was based on an anime and let me borrow his Berserk 97 DVDs. I loved every minute of it and to this day I'll never forget how i felt after the eclipse. Finally learning how Guts lost his arm and his eye and how Casca became addled was devastating. Id never seen anything so insane in my life. Just like you said, i immediately dove into the manga. Today, I'm the proud owner of all 14 volumes of Berserk Deluxe.

Amazing video, I adore Berserk 1997's artstyle, music (and the placements of the tracks), how it adapts certain emotional or impactful scenes and the voice acting (I've only seen the dub in full and love it, though I've heard the sub is good too). It is the true Golden Age adaptation and I don't think anything else can beat it for me.

Watched this immediately after finishing beserk 1997 and your description of how you feel after the ending is SOOO spot on. Literally can’t get it out of my head either!

I remember watching this the first time a couple of years ago. As an anime and manga fan I'd of course heard of Berzerk, but was off-put by the visuals I'd seen. Looked like square-ish masculine violence and gore, which I wasn't really into. But for whatever reason I watched this. I remember feeling like the animation was super dated in the first episode. Low FPS, old style, etc. But something kept me going anyways. The story must've gotten to me. Then the scene where Griffith and Guts fights happens, and Guts theme comes on. At first I don't quite understand what's going on with me, I just notice all the hairs on my body rising. I'm in pure AWE of the moment. A few seconds later I register the music and as a music producer myself I'm just blown away by what I'm hearing. It's one of the best songs I've ever heard, and it fits the scene and the feeling so perfectly. At that moment, I knew this series was something incredibly special. It might have a bit of a dated look, it might not be up to modern standards in budget. But somehow, it has the most magic of any anime or series I've watched.

Very well put. Hirasawa's music is a prime example of the expression "hauntingly beautiful". It's unlike anything I've ever heard.

Agree that the 1997 adaptation was special. It is one of the most memorable anime I've ever seen. It just had something special that you experienced when you saw it. Especially the music, the enigmatic nature of Griffith and Guts, and the weird ending. It was just something that achieved that slight elevation above music, animation, and voices where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. It all came together to mean something you couldn't quite grasp but was definitely there, something in the experience that was definitely unique and impactful but couldn't quite be captured by any one aspect alone. The vibe and gritty realistic nature were particularly unique, along with the focus on the strange relationship between Guts sand Griffith, where they were partially friends, partially leader and follower, they were close but there was this gulf between them because of some bad blood and you were never quite sure what Griffith's goal was. The music in my opinion, is what truly melded everything together and transformed it into something above just a typical show.

People love to harp on that pyramid of "explicit/detailed/long" whenever they talk about Berserk adaptations, but if they made an anime of the entire series in the style of '97 with the same edits for graphic content and time, and the same art workarounds for complex scenes, it would still be a masterpiece.

It ends with casca in the middle of her ordeal wirh guts watching. Imagine only knowing that as the end🤯

Berserk music and chrono cross music hit that same nerve for me. 90s perfection. Miuras death still sits with me. Him and the yugioh creator. But more so Miura. One gave me the greatest story. The other helped me have some of my closest friends. Rest in piece gentlemen, we all wish we could be so lucky to leave such an impact on the world.

Deserves a good full fledged remake as a modern anime, no 3d garbage or Netflix style… I dream about Berserk with the art style of Dr. Stone, Fireforce or even Demon Slayer…. 😮 However, Hirasawa’s music is a MUST.

Really wish they didn’t go the 3d route with Berserk. Guts deserves better than that

Great video! I had no idea Miura had contributed anything to the 97 show an that only makes me love it even more.

Cant forget that not only 1997 the beat adaptation but also has the best english dub of all time

You conveyed every single tought i had in mind, thank you for not spoiling too much the manga either seeing that many people could watch this video after the ending of the anime

I stopped watching the intro (fire btw 🔥) and decided to watch the full 1997 show. Finished it in 2 days. My top anime now of all time

About a few years ago i found the berserk episodes on youtube. Crazy to see the 97 anime give so much for being so old. I still rewatch semi monthly :)

Literally just finished the anime and immediately went online to start reading the manga. It's that's good and I can't think of any other anime that has ever had that impact on me. Really hope they make another adaptation at least close to the 97 one when all is said and done.

Rest In Peace, Miura-san.

I see someone talking about Berserk '97, I give it a thumbs up.

Solid well delivered analysis. Good voice. This show was my first exposure to Berserk. Years later I'd read and quickly come to adore the manga.

One thing that you didn’t mention that I personally love about 97 is the voice cast. Some of the lines feel stinted and awkward through the show but for all of the main characters their voice actors really put their whole ass into it.

If I was a millionaire I would fund a full anime of berserk and a very hardcore fateful one at that

I just finished for the first time and that cliff hanger is going to make me waste all my money on the volumes

Its been 30 yrs and I still cant get over Griffiths betrayal. Ive met some real life Griffiths so I know, personally, how it feels. to be not told, to be led, to be used. to be lied to every day. they smiles in your face when they KNEW what their intentions were. Ill always love Berserk, because its a literal reflection of me and what people have done with my kindness.

i do like berserk 1997, actually was just watching it again the other day. i think too much weight is put on the want/need for impressive animation/visuals in many modern anime/video games, and maybe part of the reason why the other adaptations fall flat in comparison.

I got into Berserk after watching a video of the eclipse and exactly how you said, i need to know more, what happened next and how would the protagonist stand up against such a seemingly formidable and unbeatable opponent… i still question that sometimes you know… I can’t shake the feeling of sadness every time I remember Miura’s passing when thinking about Berserk.

Ur videos are underrated asf , honestly deserve way more views

Berserk is what my wife and I bonded over when we first met online. It's such an incredible story and has been at the heart of my recovery from PTSD for the last ten years. Even when I was just seven years old, a single panel showing Guts in the Berserker armor touched me. The art style is timeless and resonated with my childhood self, providing words for how my autistic, synesthetic brain processed the world around me. Berserk has been a truly instrumental part of my life for 24 of my 31 years.

not an anime watcher or anything like that at all but this artstyle intriged me so much when i found it on netflix. I'm in episode 3 and the old school artstyle and precise lines on the armor and grim atmosphere make this series so cool.

I recently saw Vinland saga, who ever is in charge of production for that show needs to direct beserk if they ever wanted to make remake

Great video! You definitely deserve more views

Watched the 2013 films, just finished the 97 show and impulsively purchased the entire deluxe manga collection, I’m so exited to explore this world even further

Thanks @grim this video perfectly sums up my thoughts on the 97 berserk adaptation and the manga as a whole. The eclipse is a life changing experience

I honestly love how berserk 97 builds up to the shock of the eclipse o think better then the manga

One of the best stories/animes/shows and the BEST character of all time GUTS

Gone too soon, RIP Miura San

great video! I see your channel is relatively fresh so I thought I'd leave a comment to feed the algo :) I love this style of video: informative and presenting enough of your personal perspective with a well thought out script. great audio quality and simple yet effective editing, showing precisely what you intend to showcase. and of course, the context surrounding Berserk 97 is a fascinating topic, especially with the recognition the manga has been getting these past few years. keep it up, bud. you've gained a new sub rooting for ya! :D

As one of the many who reevaluated Berserk 1997 after seeing the Golden Age trilogy and 2016 miserable adaptation I feel the need to thank you for this video. Just a bit I'd like to add in regard to the soundtrack: "MURDER" track, the music played during the Eclipse scene, is a true deep-dive into hell. If a place we could call "hell" existed, this must definitely be the kind of stuff demons are listening to while tormenting the damned. That music is so spot-on and has been on my iPod for decades now

borderline perfect show. No anime has stuck with me the same way and impacted my taste as much. it’s absolutely insane that it’s just 25 episodes but it’s absolutely perfect.

Man! your so right! as soon as I watched the original berserk anime backin the day, I had to know what happened next and ended up reading the manga, one of the best manga/ anime of all in time in my opinion, Love it :) Great video

I simply can not agree more on the part about guts' theme... the emotions it invokes can change drastically - simply by changing how one tries to perceive it. IMHO it is a manifold of emotions!

I hadnt read or even known much about berserk but i had seen a music video ft a couple parts of the eclipse with no spoilers, so i went into the show knowing some demonic shit was going to happen but not why or when. Seeing griffith get rescued from the tower actually made me super depressed with his tongue removed and his tendons sliced, felt genuine pity for the guy. Seeing him betray everyone after that was just the most strange feeling ive ever had. It makes him such an evil antagonist but also makes you wonder what you would do in that situation, literally your entire future and life upended, only to instantly be offered the opportunity to not only reverse it all but go way beyond what you had ever planned. Now im collecting all the deluxe editions and still just waiting for more chapters. I cant wait for the big reveal to be that griffith is actually the "good guy" sacrificing the few to save the entirety of all people.

Amazing video! Berserk is one of the best things culture has created. It is up there alongside Lord of the Rings for me. Just pure perfection, with its imperfections just adding up to its unique nature.

Susumu Hirasawa music really hit me hard on this anime, so amazing the whole thing .

Even after over two decades it's still the best adaption for Berserk we've gotten. It truly conveys the somber, quiet moments and at times even thoughtfully philosophical moments that make Berserk unique. The limited animation is used well, and the use of painterly, static backgrounds and still shots don't take away from the artistic merit. Even in comparison to Miura's immensely detailed art, the art of Berserk 1997 is very different, but nearly as strong in direction and concept. And the voice cast are great, not all amazing, but especially for the main cast and major supporting characters very very good casting.

The OST makes the show even better

That is a correct statement 97 anime did make me want to read the manga, which I was doing piecemeal until recently. Fully caught up.

This truly was special I remember watching this as a kid and immediately going out and buy the books to finish the story. This was an excellent video explaining just how special it was thank you bro

Funnily enough i never thought the show looked bad by any means never came to my mind about anything related to a small budget as it was made in the 90s this is what i expect it to look like. Even the X-Men the animated series doesn't even have this much details. Music was peak though best❤️🔥

I love how the series deeply inspired by this both have art that doesnt look great on the surface but then there are these truly amazing shots that are just plain beautiful

Good breakdown of why 97' is so great. I had been watching anime for over a decade and never read a manga. Once i watched 97' not only was i introduced to miura's art but to the world of manga in general.

No other anime has ever had a lasting effect on me the way this one did.

For me it is so much better than other adaptations. Tried watching memorial edition after it to see how Skull Knight saves Guts and Caska, but the CGI was just absolutely unbearable, for me it feels like a cinematic from early 2000s game and kills all the vibe(don't why they even used it, I mean other anime series don't use it as far as I know). Now I'm reading the manga instead. Why I love 1997 adaptation is the art style(especially that drawing has soft edges and warm colors) and the soundtrack(including the "Tell me why" intro, I think it actually fits the show). I hope that if there gonna be another adaptation it will be more like 1997 and less like memorial edition or 2016/2017 one(would be fun though if somewhere at the end of one of the episodes after credits they inserted reference to the frying pan sound)

The point that you made about the ending getting ppl into the manga...I am one of those. I think it was 2014 and saw a top 10 anime list and from the description berserk was right up my alley...dark/demon souls fan and dark fantasy in general. And that was the beginning of my journey with berserk and will see it through to the end.

Honestly this is one of my favorite things in entertainment ever just because there is so much love in it from everyone involved, from the charming animation to the voice actors performances, it's full of love. Even the out takes the VA's had are gold. And oh god the music, which to me is one of the weirdest OST's for anything and I love it, from the electric bagpipes to sorrowful vocals its got everything. And the placement of the tracks is so good, like how for 3/4 of the show whenever we see our main characters on horseback we usually hear the adrenaline rush of a song forces playing, but when Grifith is rescued and everyone is valiantly escaping from the midland army, Forces is nowhere to be heard as if the rescue itself was the beginning of the end. I just love this anime so much like I just can't.

for a small creator i would like to say you have very good quality vids, keep it up!

The fact that the POKEMON STUDIO made this brutally gory Berserk anime... that's interesting in and of itself.

Yeah, we have the beautiful Guts theme in the anime, then in the memorial edition and 2016, we get "Guts and blood and blood and guts and guts and blood"

I didn't even know much about the production or Miura's involvement, this was a really good vid!

The crazy part is, the 97’ adaptation is the best anime version we’ve gotten to date. Others tried with shit cgi and none have continued the story after this arc successfully. Sad really, this anime deserves high quality animation and full on start to finish anime. Shocked Netflix or another company don’t want to touch it.

Berserk is the first anime I ever watched and after, it was the first manga I ever read. All because of that gut punch of an ending we got.

I really wish they would remake the anime completely, loved the 97 anime

14:14 that’s 1000% on point. Back when I first saw the ending of the 97 anime I immediately bought the first 9 deluxe omnibuses lmao

Been a fan since 97 when I was 9 started reading right after watching the anime. A young boy became a man after Berserk and holds a very dear place in my soul. Everything you said is spot on. Thank you

Never wanted to read manga but after watching the 97 anime I now own deluxe volume 1,2,3 and will continue adding to the collection.

i was here before you became popular

I went into the 97 anime knowing nothing about Berserk other than it was influential on Dark Souls. I was not prepared for the eclipse.

Yup. You said what many do agree with. Although it is subjective it isn’t without argument that this opinion about Berserk is to be the most realistic truth for manga. I literally fell in love with the story with the first couple episodes and binge watched it quicker than anything else I ever had and it’s the only story I legitimately had to have completely. It was worth it and is highly regarded to be precious like gold, to me. I love Berserk. Thank you and RIP Kentaro Miura. Many miss you but are thankful for what you did for us with your gift you have given to many across the globe

'97 Berserk TV anime is a masterpiece, for sure. I remember some of the iconic scenes even got more expressive throught the adaptation, such as Griffith's staring at the Midland minister (can't recall his name) in the hallway.

I always thought 2012 berserk was actually the 2016 version and thought it wasn’t that bad and now I understand why 2016 is so hated

The colors and character designs just perfectly replicate how I'd imagine berserk would be animated, the future movies and 2016 imo don't hold a candle in this department. The music is of course iconic, guts' theme gives me a feeling of isolation as I'm exploring this world on my own with each step becoming more and more distant from any familiarity kinda like how Guts feels in the Black Swordsman arc cause aside from Puck he was truly alone.

I agree with everything in the video except the cliffhanger part. The first time I finished the show, I didn't think the story was incomplete. It just loops on the beginning of the show. We now know that Guts somehow survived and what his motivations are. The story felt complete on my first watch-through . Of course when I learned there was a manga and this is a small part of it, I started reading. In 2-3 days I was to the last released chapter at the time I think it was 800 ch. at the time. I still think this story is unsurpassed. Though I'm not a avid reader, so there are probably many other gems I've missed. Felt really bad when I leaned mr. Miura died few years ago. Rest in peace Kentaro Miura.

The art in the 97 anime was top tier in my opinion. It makes me want to improve my drawing lol

for me personally berserk 97 is the first and probably only anime that had me that emotionally invested I love AoT the dbz series one piece and a bunch of others but this is still the best show i’ve ever watched! From the dialogue to the soundtrack it’s just beautifully written

I LOVE GRIM!!!!

great video, and great explanation I was suprised to see only 2.6k subs tbh. keep it up!f

I'm already planning on buying the deluxe manga from where the anime ended

The 97 one will always have a place in my heart

Saw it when it came out. Fell in love with it, and that score still can't be touched.

You should also play the PS2 game, not only is it fun as fuck. But also has returning voices from the 1997 anime (japanese voices) And covers the first arc of millennium empire. Susumu Hirasawa even returned to make some more bangers.