Waiting for the berserk adaptation where Guts comes out of the screen so that I can take him to my therapist and maybe Steak n' shake afterwards if he does good
Plus they've literally stated how much they want to animate berserk I heard they were supposed to start it after castelvenia but something happened idk what but I just saw that scene as a resume proving that they can lol
TBH, killing all those poor farmers, then just running off into the sunset with her GF is very unBerserk, its just a "cool edgy" action scene with little substance. (Even how the tavern farmers are presented in the first two episodes of season 1 shows something of a disdain for "peasants") The writing was so hit or miss in that Carmila had to become an entierely different person to fit their villain quota for season 4. Despite all this I still like Castlevania, its very cool for two seasons, pretty meh for 3 and pretty descent for 4, but I still dont think they could adapt Berserk on the budget presented in that show. Its very stiff and wonky, its writing is very quip-y and TBH even 1997 utilized its budget in a much more fitting way than I think a Netflix budget animation ever could.
It's kind of disappointing that Berserk's marketing material just focuses exclusively on the sex, violence, and sexual violence, when that's about the least interesting part of the series.
Seriously, I had a friend who frequently recommended Berserk in high school, and I basically ignored him because it just looked like another edgy dark fantasy. I'm pretty sure I read a description just like that when I checked it out in the store, and I remember being totally unimpressed by it. It was only years later, after seeing video online about how good it was that I realised my mistake.
Sadly, that was a symptom of the era it was released to America in. When anime first started gaining steam in the west, back in the late 90s/early 00s, “cartoons are for kids” was still a firmly accepted universal truism. As a result, a lot of anime marketing boiled down to cringe “look at all these boobs ‘n blood! Is THAT for kids, Mom!?” for a few years.
Yeah but Berserk is hard to market. Saying anything will get some people interested but put a lot of people off. Market as edgy? You get the edge lords in, but the people who want a well written thoughtful story are out. Market it as a grim love-revenge story? You get the twilight fans in on it, but you loose anyone who isn’t into emotional stories. Market it as a thoughtful character driven story, and you’ll get some people, but it might lead a lot of people to assume it’s pretentious nonsense. There really isn’t any winning. The best way to get into it is just get into it, but doing that is difficult because it tends to flip between tones with every arc.
@@southofheck I do think there's a middle ground, though. It would be accurate to refer to Berserk as "dark and controversial" because it is, in fact, both of those things. The "don't show your granny" line is just cringe and makes it sound like a terrible 90s image comic.
@@okawesome2746 yeah I guess that works. It’s not perfect, but leaving it sort of vague is a neat idea. To bad this is America, and you gotta have an elevator pitch to throw in the public’s face or else you can’t sell it at all.
This ending has me teary-eyed. Guts is the embodiment of “courage is not the absence of fear but the strength to keep going no matter how scared you are”. If a man that strong has hard days maybe it’s OK that I do too, if he can go through all that and still smile at the end of the day maybe I can too.
@@JetblackJay ooooh... I would remove it tho I would just not make the first page...it sets the tone for the black swordsman arc and shows what guts has become
I always took Guts in the Black Swordsman Arc to be his lowest mental state in the entire series thus explaining his attitude, eventually with him regaining back his humanity and becoming less of a monster to others after the Eclipse.
@@Drums_of_Liberation And it's one of the reasons the Lost Children arc matters in any adaptation. Rosine is more pitiful than maliciously evil, less a cackling tyrant than a hurt child who doesn't understand the consequences of her actions, and sees herself as helping children like her. And it's when Guts starts to see himself at his most crazed and bloodthirsty, and realise that people see HIM as the monster, often more than the things he's fighting. It's the first signs that he hasn't entirely cauterised his emotional wounds and that as much as he tries to push the outside world out and exist as a grim loner who needs no friends....people can still affect him.
Exactly! I mean ffs, spoiler: He literally almost raped Casca when it was just the two of them. He wasn’t all there mentally, as he was by himself fighting monsters, never sleeping, on the brink of insanity for years.
Oh yeah, totally, but I’m sure even Miura didn’t fully understand Guts as a character in those first few chapters/volumes. I think he started to at the very end of Black Swordsman, and definitely did by the middle of the Golden Age, but early on it feels like he was playing more with tropes and archetypes than a fully-realized character. Which makes sense to me! You don’t have everything planned out with a work like this when you start it.
@@jsc315 Well, it'll never be finished by Miura. For all the shit people throw around about continuations by people who are not the original creator, literature is full of examples. Famously Brandon Sanderson took the torch from Robert Jordan on Wheel of Time and delivered what many felt was a really fantastic ending (although it did have heavy outlining). Probably plenty of examples we don't even know about of that very thing happening and turning out well. I think, with time taken to find the right writer, the series could continue and find a conclusion that carried all the spirit and heart and warmth Miura imbued into every page into a conclusion that could really end up meaning the world to a whole lot of people. I don't know if that'd be the case but I wouldn't put out of possibility that it will be continued, and given the reverence Miura garnered in the industry I think it not unlikely that the creatives left in charge of the series might poor the kind of time and energy required into finding a writer like that for Berserk, maybe if not for financial gain then as a personal favour to a dead friend. And hey, if that happened I know it'd never be the "true" ending and a lot of people would probably complain it was "never the same" but honestly, I'm here for whatever this series does from here on out, for better or worse.
@@charliecoke7396 I mean look at what Christopher Tolkien did with the notes he had. He truly added to the backstory of Middle-Earth. Even if the art isn’t as good they could still finish it if he left notes.
Yea, and honestly keeping with the message of Berserk, I think it's only right for people to read the new chapters of Berserk as well. We can't get Miura back. All we can do is carry on.
@@ryno4ever433 Agreed. In his honor we should. Especially bc this isn't some cash grab, it's his good friend who he wanted to take over if something happened to him
"OLM was a great choice for Berserk, as months beforehand they had started adapting another popular dark fantasy series, Pokemon." I had this on to listen to at work and had to pass off my burst of laughter as clearing my throat. HOW did I miss that moment when I watched this the first time?
@@lorddosuniversos Yeah, but the anime isn't actually adapting that manga, and it's very lighthearted in compairson. Which makes this quote in the video extra funny.
@@Mezworld you know for sure it would just be another GoT clone. Even if it were good, it would be like the Witcher Netflix series. Like, yeah it’s good, but just read the books or play the games. They do a much better job.
@@southofheck From what I saw of the witcher, it was honestly kind of mediocre. You're right about them turning it into GOT though, that's basically the express purpose of Amazon's LOTR(which just like the witcher is going to feature black elves. Because that totally makes sense from a norse mythological perspective).
I just wanted to come back a day or so after watching this to thank you. As a survivor of childhood sexual assault, I'm very uncomfortable experiencing media containing sexual assault and rape, and actively avoided Berserk in totality because of the stuff I heard about the rape in it. Seeing this video finally made me give it a shot, and it's entirely the scene you presented at the end that did it. That's so fucking powerful, I'm still sobbing thinking about it, and now that you've shown me the context for some of it, and how it's not just a gimmick, I've finally given it a chance. Guts being a survivor of childhood rape resonates a lot, and I'm grateful there's a character out there who realistically grapples with the same thing I do every day. Thank you!
Yeah Miura did an great job at showing SA for guts and griffin but he doesn't really do a good job at portraying female SA see the Princess and Casca (the unnecessary Griffin SA scene where instead of her POV it was Gut's and when Gut's SA'd her in the golden age)
Berserk's insight to sexual trauma has always seemed... unsettlingly realistic. It's a beautiful piece of work, it's such a message of hope against a dark and uncaring world, and thank you for putting it together in this video so well.
I used to avoid Berserk like the plague. It was marketed to me exactly like those cringeworthy ads you showed at the beginning of the video. As a senseless, gore filled edgefest about an asshole killing demons with pretentious philosophy about how life sucks. I eventually looked up some info out of curiosity after finding out it inspired Fromsoftware’s aesthetics, and started to get interested. So I bought the dark horse collection of the first volume on sale. The guardians of desire arc hooked me so much that I blasted through the first 20 volumes over the course of 3 or four days. Berserk has cool fights, sure. But it’s also an excellently crafted story about trauma, human connection, destiny and hope in a hopeless world.
I have never seen or read any of berserk but this video completely sold me. There were moments that you described that definitely resonate with me. Brb ordering the manga!
Goodluck I hope you're not battling scalpers i just picked up the last 3 mangas today I needed it took me almost 2 months to get book 1 I had 36 out of 40 of them but only just got 1 last Monday because I caved it and bought it from a scalper for 3× the price
That back cover description of Berserk is hilarious! Makes me wish they added more over-the-top descriptions like... "This ain't your Mama's manga!" --Richard "Large" Larkin, Dudebro Magazine "'Berserk' broke into my home slept, with me and made out with my girlfriend!" --Jennifer "Awesomator" Freeman, Manga Informer "'Berserk' is so good that my father said he loves me!" --Peter Ubelover, Shave 'Em Dry Illustrated
Man, I'm not even 2 minutes and just hearing you talk about the far-reaching influence Miura's work had and still has... I'm tearing up. Can't wait to watch the rest of this video.
1:33:40 just got me. Gut's theme over the discussion of trauma and the holding onto the light. Solid ten minutes of crying while listening. Thanks for putting this together. Berserk means a lot to me and this helped with moving on from the loss of Mr Kentaro Miura, even if only a little bit. Very good video.
I'm so glad you pointed out that Casca's skin had already been getting the lightening treatment before 2016 because every time I've seen TGAT footage played next to the '97 footage my brain has been yelling, "What's going on with her skin. What did they do to her skin. Why is it yellow."
ngl thats not really the fault of the animators. Miura himself was very inconsistent in regards to Casca's skintone. There are covers and panels that make you almost think she could be black and others where she looks like a slightly tan white person.
Finally broke down as you explained Guts' traumatic past, and why Berserk is your comfort media. You even played his theme, and while I had never seen or read Berserk before, that music hits me so hard. T_T Despite not being familiar with Berserk itself, Miura's death brings me such heartache, perhaps knowing how influential Berserk has been. Your video was very insightful and moving, thank you for your hard work.
Guts’ theme is so simple yet so powerful. Both it and the song Weight of the World from Nier: Automata (route E version) both just hit me like a truck no matter how many times I’ve listened to them. They both, to me, evoke a theme of struggle, introspection, and a constant drive for connection in spite of that lingering sadness. And I think they both do have a theme of hope in them. I can’t explain it in Guts’ theme, but when the choir kicks in on Weight of the World… well to steal a comment from one of the videos showing it, “the weight of the world isn’t so heavy when we all carry it together”.
I haven't had any exposure to Beserk before, nor consider myself a massive anime/manga consumer in general, but the emotion and passion that you so clearly expressed for this series made this video a privilege to watch. It made me deeply feel the pain of losing Miura at such a tragically young age, the pain of never seeing his final vision come to fruition - what a terrible thing for his loved ones, his fan-base and for you to experience. And I totally understand the unique ways that people find their own comfort media, which is why I play the first BioShock at least once a year. Obviously, it's nowhere near as dark as Beserk, but I find a weird comfort in its world, characters, and horrors, probably because it dropped at such a big turning point in my own youth. This was a fantastic love letter and memorial Emily, well done
Also you cant clang skeletons who are not wearing armor... yet they did that. Atleast we can see that artwork can really have a soul. And Berserk 2016 was soulless copy , just an empty shell.
You have PERFECTLY explained why Berserk is comforting to read. I've tried and failed to explain to friends and family why this bleak series could be comforting to a person, and you've absolutely nailed it. I've always found myself meditating on Berserk whenever I enter a deep depression. Thank you for this video
The last 15-20 minutes of the video hit me really really hard. It might be a mix of my own struggles and emotions or still being shocked that Miura is gone, or all of that even. That last 20 minutes of the video genuinely made me cry, but in a good way. The kind of cry that you have not just because you’re sad or upset, but the kind that’s relieving and you have because of something that means so much to you, something that’s so beautiful. This was a brilliant video, I don’t know how else to say it other than that. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the series with us and for sharing your emotions with us. I need to go re-watch the 97 anime and re-read the series now
You completely accomplished your goal. Having never experienced Beserk, you conveyed what makes it special and convinced me to finally read it. Thank you, your work is so special and well produced.
I know this is late and so many other have said the same but the ending portion of your video is perfect. The way you describe why some of the harsher aspects of the story are important is beautiful. Ive gotten many weird reavtions when i try to get someone into bersker while still warning them of the harsher themes. The way you put it was amazing. I haven't really thought about my comfort media before, but berserk is 100% it. This also gets negative reactions form people which honestly hurts. Also the part about being vulnerable really hit home. As a large guy I can't really discus my feelings with anyone and if I do end up expressing negative emotions I'd get chastised for it. Sorry for rambling. Your video was just an amazing watch. Thank you for posting it
Legitimately incredible video, a lot of other video essays i've seen about berserk kind of have this "dude-broey" vibe to them, or they seem almost afraid to criticize some of the more questionable aspects of the story (Wyald, overuse of sexual assault etc) but you were perfectly able to not only convey how much of an incredible storyteller Miura was while also occasionally calling him out on his bullshit, which was really refreshing, game me some new insights while serving as a perfect memorial for such an iconic series. Ps: holy shit someone else who thinks Sonia is a super intresting character! I though i was the only one, she unfortunately seems to be on the receiving end of a lot of the vitriol from the worst parts of the fanbase
@@ovahlord1451 Most of them tbh haha other than this video, the only other youtubers that i think managed to make really good and thoughtful videos about berserk are Beyond Ghibli and Super Eyepatch Wolf, most of the others just seemed really surface level and i didn't find they had anything all that intresting to say, obvs its fine if you disagree, just stating my opinion
So far we haven't seen anything of Sonia except her being a dumb naïve kid who says things like "Yes I know they're demonic hellspawn, but they're our demonic hellspawn!"
1:33:40 when Guts' Theme finally started to play absolutely killed me. This is the first RU-vid video to ever make me cry. I don't know why but that scene with Guts and Casca never clicked for me until you broke it down, it makes so much sense now and I understand why I love Berserk so much. Fantastic video, 10/10, would cry again.
Man this video is such a joy to watch. It's starting to become one of my "comfort" video essays. The way you explore that scene with Guts and Casca being intimate for the first time just perfectly captures how powerful that scene is.
The thing I LOVED about the 97 manga is that by the time the cosmic horror stuff came back, I had completely forgotten about it. So when the apostles attacked the band of the hawk, I was in shock because of what a shift it was. While I love the manga, that's one thing that was missing since there were hints of it throughout before that point.
Not only that, but when they come back in full force in the eclipse, it's a lot darker than pretty much anything I've seen earlier, like.... You have this horde of demons not just killing and devouring people, but BRUTALIZING THEM! And then you add the raping of Casca on top of that, (Which honestly, I felt was that part was a bit too long for it's own good, but I still think it's an important part of the horror and the trauma that Guts and Casca will have from this, on top of watching their friends die a horrible death.) like.... I don't care what anyone tells me. From now on, whenever I think of the word "Hell" the eclipse, specially the original manga version of it, is the first thing that will come to my mind. THAT THING WAS HELL! You knew the apostles were cruel, you knew it from the Black Swordsman arc, and from the fight with Wyald, but this is a whole other level.
I watched this video before consuming the entire run of the manga. Watching it again after doing so.... ending on Rickert's field of swords crushed me. Thanks to you and Eyepatch for putting me on this journey.
I'm thinking of the art that has stuck as deeply in my head as Berserk has upon reading it... let's see... Spirited Away, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Mad Max Fury Road... oh look... all of my favorite things.
I kinda disagree with your opinion of the first arc. That's because I think this arc explores the facade of the uncaring and stoic man that Guts wants to present himself as while showing that his actions contradicts this perception and that Guts really cares but he forces himself to talk and act like this because he thinks that everyone around him will get killed because of the brand. (The battle with the skeletons). And his relation with Vargas is the same. When he sees him get executed he feels really guilty for not helping him. At the end of the arc we see this facade gets shattered when we see guts crying. His face says it all. The sex thing is the rough around the edges for being the first arc.
This is what I felt too. I just started getting into the series and I found this to be my take as well from the first arc. Specifically when Guts meets the little girl and old man as well as Guts being torn up after remembering Vargas' desperate plea to him right before his death. Those to me were such small moments but super important. They show the reality of the situation by, for just a moment, allowing the facade that Guts has built up to fall away before almost immediately being forced back up.
Real late to this but I've found Berserk video essays to always be a little... lacking. I mean heck, my favourite creator on the platform made three video essays on the series and even there none of them really "stuck". I think its because there's very little we know about the series creation and it's creator and in the vacuum of that people making videos are only really left with just explaining exactly what Berserk is, which reads more as a summary of the series than actually piercing into anything to deeper. The only things Berserk's iron clad armour on discussion really exposes to be delved into is the emotional side of the series, the beauty, and that takes being willing to be vulnerable in some way on the internet to deliver satisfyingly. And I gotta say, you nailed it. Whole way through, fantastic video. You've not only convinced me to go back and re-read all of Berserk while I wait for the last few volumes I've got on back order to arrive but to earmark this video as one to revisit every few months, to remind me not only of how fantastic this series is, but to remind me why pieces of art so dark and personal have an opportunity to say so much more than what we typically get out of Grimdark fantasy. So, thank you. For everything you've put into this video, I promise you every part of your commitment to both informing and being so honest about it's meaning to you was worth it.
This has probably been the hardest year or two of my life. All the stars have consistently aligned to put me in a constant living hell. May was actually a decent month until He died. It felt fitting. The last few days, I haven't had any hope. Nothing to hope for, but this video reminded me of Berserk. I think about it often, but hearing your passion about it in depth had me finally think about it properly for the first time in a long time. Berserk has always been an inspiration for me. In writing, in art, it's what I've always wanted to make, but this might be the first time I've ever understood why. It all clicked when you talked about the hope in it. The found family, the love despite being torn to shreds at every turn, only sticking together because of the few people you have who won't kill you. That kind of hope in all that pain is what I'll always need. It's what I want to give. Thanks for showing it to me again.
This video was extremely helpful. I started berserk a few weeks ago and this was super informative and interesting. Thank you. It’s been such a beautiful series so far, and the themes and messages in berserk you talked about throughout and at the end of the video meant a lot. rest in peace Kentaro Miura .
What an absolutely amazing video. Just finished the ‘97 anime for the first time, and plan on ordering the first few volumes of the manga when I have the spare money. I now have an immense love for the story, and cannot wait to experience it more. Thank you for sharing your love for this tremendous piece of storytelling with us.
Oh hell yeah, this video RULES. The '97 anime was my first Berserk experience, and I totally agree, it was a great show that did a ton with its budget, told a complete story within the greater arc of Berserk, and did so very artfully. Heck, I even like the ending! It feels a bit less like a cliffhanger (we know from the first episode that Guts survives and what he becomes) and more like... the height of tragedy? A nightmarish catharsis? I dunno, the way the horror of the situation just builds and builds and builds and then smashes to credits at the end without even a pause for breath after Guts' howling scream? It never fails to just punch me right in the stomach. It feels like such an intentional effect that I have to imagine they knew what they were doing when they chose to end it at that specific moment.
Thank you so much for making this. Especially the section discussing Guts and Casca's intimacy at the waterfall. You beautifully articulated what I find so special about the series in a way I've always struggled with. 20 clangs out of 10.
My introduction into Berserk was an 8 hour supercut on RU-vid and it was honestly amazing! I'm now just over halfway through the manga and read it while listening to the soundtrack. I am honestly dreading reaching the end.
This video was cathartic in a way I hadn't been able to process since news of Miura's death, thank you for that. I heard about it in circumstances where I simply couldn't feel all that I knew I would and this reminded me about how much I grieve his loss, and even more than that, how much I love this series and how much it means to me. It's my comfort media as well and I'm gonna reread it now
Thanks for taking the time to go over the SA content, not just as a warning but as an important element to the story and message. Some of the adaptations sanitize so much of that stuff out that I feel like they can give viewers the wrong impression. I’ve seen so many people interpret the Golden Age arc as being about the tragic hero Griffith whose hard work is undone by his ungrateful and jealous friends Guts and Casca, mainly because most adaptations make it really easy to miss that Guts and Casca are SA survivors and Griffith is a psychopathic serial abuser. Making the content “safer” accidentally erases the story of survivors and glorifies the villain.
Hello hi it's me again so... I'm back from reading the entire manga now and 1. Berserk is now among my favourite series of all time. I REALLY wish I could've found it when I was younger because it's messages about grief and trauma would've been SO helpful back then. I've never related to a character's emotional arc and struggle more than I did with Guts'. 2. WOW did I ever cry once again when I reached the scene you talked about in the spoiler, and 3. I have never experienced this kind of retroactive grief over someone's death before. Miura seriously was on another level as an artist and a storyteller, and knowing Berserk can never truly be finished the way it was intended makes my heart hurt so much. All I can say is thank you for making this video, and thank you so much for introducing me to Berserk. It felt like I just went on a week-long emotional journey, and it was amazing and heartbreaking and really, really worth it.
Thank you for this, Berserk can be so hard to experience sometimes due to all those elements that would scare a lot of people off, but it's everything around them that makes it so good. All the quiet moments of characters talking and sharing their feelings. In particular thank you for talking about Guts' and Casca's first time, it's one of my favourite things in all of Berserk. Guts breaking down, freaking out, Casca giving him the chance to talk about it and him just baring his feelings. I love it so much, it's so beautiful, it has such a great build up across the series. And while there is a lot of sexual assaults in Berserk that is just to establish "this is a bad person" *cough Wyald cough* or "this is a bad world", that's not what it all is. There are important moments like this that show how that experience can shape a character. My partner got me some of the deluxe editions for Christmas and my birthday and I am slowly rereading the manga, and I think the Black Swordsman arc is a lot better when you've already experienced at least the Golden Age, as you have a lot more context for things like his not wanting to be touched. Still discount the first page though, definitely not canon haha
This video got me into Berserk, which has been so impactful and healing to me. I cannot thank you enough for that. Funny enough, this video kind of became a kind of comfort media to me. Keep on, struggler.
Having never touched Berserk before seeing the movies, I thought your perspective on them as a big fan was interesting. I knew I was seeing a condensed adaptation, and in fact sought it out, because I wanted to know whether it would be worth the time to get into the series. So in my case, even the 3 year timeskip felt like it was offering me something for further engaging with the story should I choose to. It was definitely enough to get me to seek out more of the series
I love Lady Emily's writing and videos, and I appreciate the detail and catharsis in what she says about this. Lady Emily's read was that this was two survivors being there for one another. In the real world, if someone chokes you, get out. Even if you care about them, even if you love them, even if they cry and talk about their childhood trauma. This is a well worn playbook, it can be enacted knowingly or unknowingly, where someone hurts you, justifies why they could not control their actions, and elicits comfort from you, the person they just hurt. That is not to say they are garbage, that is not to say they are irredeemable, that is not discounting PTSD symptoms, that is to say, you, the person who was just choked by them, are the least qualified person on the planet to be there for them and provide therapy or emotional support, the best decision for both of you is to get out and take care of yourself. You are loved and you are not alone.
Berserk is my comfort media because I'm mentally ill and highly traumatized and watching Guts go through it all is weirdly soothing and makes me feel seen and valid. All of my emotions feel validated.
This is one of the best presentations of Berserk I've seen. You do an excellent job of conveying the messages, themes, and attraction of the story and thoroughly explain the pros & cons of each adaptation. I also commend you for keeping it pretty spoiler free for those who have not experienced the story yet, as there are many spoiler moments that I feel people use to sell the story to others. And I sympathize heavily with your last section over the loss of Kentaro Miura, it's a loss that is so impactful despite the separation between author and reader. Wonderful job throughout, you should feel proud.
Beserk got me though some really deep mental health issues, I remember when reading ,for the first time, Guts leaving Griffith to make his own path was the day I decided i would live no matter what. I needeed to be my own person after being defined so long by factors outside my control and as Guts kept going after the eclipse I felt a real kinship for him as i emotionally resonated with the fact he will keep going no matter what horrors he faces. The theme of refusing to be crushed, keep going no matters how bad it gets has kept me going when nothing else could. It's so good. Im glad it exists
I've watched this around 5 times now and I simply must thank you I've fallen in love with Berserk and you are just so well spoken and I wish you the best in your endeavors.
The end of this had me in tears. Thank you for finally convincing me to read the manga. While berkerk may come to an end, we can only hope that Miura's influence on media at large will lead to further media made in his vision for berserk and carrying on the values of his work that made it so special.
Iknow this is 3 years old and im already deep into berserk, always has been, its the most important thing in the entire world to me and seeps itself into every aspect of my life but this video, I really needed it, i cried when miura was brought up, not just cried, ive been sobbing for the last 30 minutes but it felt good, for someone to remind me to keep struggling through everything.
Just finished watching this all the way through the second time, I can already tell this is going to be one of my comfort videos. Listening to you talk about something you're so passionate about is just a lot of fun to listen to, and the ending makes me ✨cry✨ So yeah, absolutely splendid job on this video, I've already looked into getting Berserk so I can read it myself
I've been here for a while trying to figure how to get across what I think of berserk succintly, but my autistic tendency to ramble keeps getting the better of me so, I'm just gonna briefly mention the one part of this idea I really like (still kinda long tho) but put simply Berserk at its core, at least to me in terms of its narrative, is a story about healing from trauma. Spoilers for most of it, though briefly ahead. I think for Guts and his relationship with Casca and Griffith is where this idea comes across most solidly and most signficantly to me in Berserk, and it's kinda the central idea of his arc post-eclipse (and Casca's during Fantasia as well to a degree) Guts during his time as the Black Swordsman chose a terrible coping mechanism, and in his attempt to get rid of his trauma turns to violence, in the vain hope that killing Griffith will somehow cure the issues he's dealing with. He's not only unable to do this, but also in the process is made markedly worse. A lot of revenge narratives do have the sense of the 'revenge is bad' idea, but I think Berserks unique in that is focuses so tightly on the anguish and trauma Guts deals with due to his attempts. It arises in what's represented in the Beast of Darkness, all those terrible parts of him that were fed during his time as the Black Swordsman, and his method even more than most revenge stories is both portayed as...sad and damaging to himself, and nearly to others like Casca at one point. But Guts doesn't overcome his issues by being a tough and unmoving or violent, which sometimes stories can associate as universally good or positive traits for male protags to have. Berserk instead portrays how people heal in I think one of the most geniune and realistic ways of any media I've seen. In that people heal by allowing themselves to be vulnerable, by letting people in, moving on, these are things that Guts does, though gradually, after Conviction and despite everything else he goes through, I think its really that which allows him to heal and its really refreshing. To see a story where vulnerability, where healing through moving on and such, are seen as positive and good things, and the way people heal from trauma is portrayed...well as geniunely one can portray it in a dark fantasy world, but I think Miura hits it quite well. At least for me, I think I find that aspect of Berserk...very comforting and relatable due to my own life experiences. Plus to add a tiny bit of feminist discourse here, it's also just really great imo to see a tough male protagonist like Guts, to not only have these traits, but having these things both be portrayed as positive, and the catalyst for him being able to get better. I think my favourite scene juxtaposed (though there's a lot you can pick) is how hateful Guts is of Griffith during the meeting of Conviction, verses in Fantasia where he's asked what Griffith is like, and he speaks in this tone that is sure neutral, but it feels so moved on with how Guts used to be, it makes me kinda tear up every time to see how far Guts has gone and...healed from everything that's happened to him, those kinda scenes in Berserk have always been my favourite. Where it shows someone healing from what's happened to them, and managing to move on, or at least taking the steps to do so.
This comment is really great and I agree with it. Your final point is really interesting to me because it’s something I’ve noticed too and while I know the story was heading for a Griffith and Guts reunion/fight, I don’t mind that we didn’t get one. For me, it was clear that Guts (and, in turn, the story) was more focused on healing Casca. And with that done, the series could at least finish in what it really needed: not the epic fight, but with healing.
for years I've heard of Berserk and just steered completely clear of it, all I ever heard was how dark and brutal and awful everything was, and I didn't want to engage with that, its just not the kind of media I enjoy. And that perception was somewhat challenged around the time of Miura's passing, seeing all these panels everyone was sharing, how people were affected by it, hearing people I looked up to talk about how much they loved it. But still I avoided it. I think this video was the last push I needed. Thanks for finally getting me to try reading Berserk
Berserk is one of those once in a lifetime things that impacts you on such an intensely emotional level, and yet brings you so much joy at the same time. When I found Berserk I was at my worst. Just a few months earlier my sister was raped by my best friend, and then just four months later my dad was in the hospital near dead with a serious complication after a gastric bypass surgery. I felt so alone and so pissed at the world, like everyone and everything was being taken from me. Then while I was looking for some music to help calm my nerves I found the 2016 version of My Brother. I sat there listening to it thinking it sounded really nice, I decided to look up Berserk and found the 1997 anime. I stayed up all night watching it. I was simply in shock, I had just witnessed one of the greatest stories of all time if not the best. After the cliff hanger ending I looked up every aspect of Berserk I could. In the morning I made two of my sisters watch it with me and they both loved it. I became obsessed with Berserk for three months. Then one day I just felt depressed and down. I tried as hard as I could to be happy I just got a new model kit and was so hyped about Overlord season 4. Then I just got this really bad feeling something inside me compelled me to look at my phone and what was the first thing I saw, the masked man's video "#ThankYouMiura." My heart sank. The way you described his death was perfect it felt like the death of a close friend or a family member. It was such a weird thing shedding tears over a man you didn't truly know but that had impacted me so much and inspired me to keep on living. No other work has ever affected me as much as Berserk. Rip Miura Sensei, you will be missed by more people than you could ever imagine. We all will keep on struggling and keep your works close to our hearts.
After watching your video i read all the manga. My god what a journey! But i have two things to say. 1. Wyald IS an important character, even though he is not exactly well written and is just edgelord shit he is necesary. Besides Zodd this is the first time Guts has to fight against an apostle and remember, Guts has been training by cutting logs impulsed by a waterfall to simulate the punch of zodd, wyald is the first time he has a chance to try the result of his training. After the long fight he almost dies a lot of times, so when zodd tears wyald appart the manga is showing that Zodd is in a whole different level, and guts super human strenght by itself wont be enough. Also, everyone can tell that Zodd is "special" like a tier S boss, but with wyald he is average, maybe a little bit above average so when the eclipse started it hits in a WHOOOLE different way to see that many apostles. If ONE gave the gang so much trouble, that many means game over. I only saw the 97 adaptation so after reading the wyald fight the eclipse hit me in a whole different way. And remember, Wyald was a starting point to the animalistic and savage desire that motivates apostles, Zodd was logical and had selfcontrol when he saw the crimson behelit, wyald didnt, he almost killed Grifith. So he helped me to understand that the other apostles most likely would end up being this unhinged force of nature that only pursue whatever they like. He is not perfect (god knows dick tongue is waaay beyond my line) but neither is "pirate tentacle in pirate ship tentacle" so... 2. Thank you so very much, this was something i wanted to make for years but the bulk of the manga was intimidating. And im so happy i did it. Thank you for your video.
God it’s only been like a week since I first saw the dick tongue, that’s probably the hardest I’ve ever recoiled at any comic, or even any book honestly.
You know, between being about a monster hunter mercenary, dark fantasy in a relatively grounded setting with some fairytale elements and political intrigue reminds me of Witcher. In a good way. You definitely sold me on it.
Dang you sounded like you were gonna cry by an hour a 30 minutes in and I wouldn't have blamed you. Thanks for this insightful video. I once watched the first episode of the 97 anime on youtube back in 2011 in middle school and kinda lost interest. And by the time im watching this I have just started getting back into it. I'm definitely gonna check more of it out. Thanks Em
Holy shit, I've seen all of the Berserk media, read it several times and watch a LOT of video essays on RU-vid, and I can say for certain that this video is the single most impressive, emotive, and moving video I have seen on any media in my life so far. Phenomenal. Subscribed, just for the potential to witness such sublime explanation and portrayal of opinion and emotion again. Exemplary work.
This video by no means introduced me to Berserk. I've been struggling since the early aughts and for most of my life this has been the most important work of fiction I've ever experienced. It's likewise been my comfort media, and something that has gotten me through a lot of the harsh times of my life. In my room, in pretty much every corner of it there's something there to serve as a reminder, or something for me to smile at. When Miura passed, I was absolutely shattered as a human being for about a week, dealing with the conflicting emotions of this thing that I loved so much being left unfinished. Even as people pointed out, what was to come to pass, with his friends taking up the mantle of the story to bring it to something of a conclusion. But quite a bit of that turmoil was how *I* was being affected, and my disgust at myself when there were people closer to Miura who knew and loved him as a person who was in their lives, even if he'd had such a profound effect on mine without ever knowing about it. But still, whenever I come across these sorts of videos I watch them, because I absolutely love hearing the takes of others. Their enjoyment, or critiques, or takes on this thing that I love so much, but have such a hard time recommending to others due to the very nature of it. I smiled through the whole of your video, listening to it as I ended my work day. Curious to hear your take on the 2016 version which I'd known from watching from afar that it wouldn't be what I wanted and avoiding it. Felt justified in my decision to avoid it, thanks for that. But at the end of the video, when you talked about the harshness juxtaposed with the beauty, and just how much it's that which makes you love Berserk. I cried. I'm still kinda crying. And I just wanted to thank you for that moment, that shared truth, even if you're not a person across a room having a conversation with me. I felt that. And just wanted to share. I got here through your Plastic Beach video from the Gorillaz, and have subbed. Having looked over at your channel on Nebula I'll probably be watching your videos reading/reacting to those chapters sooner or later once I've gotten myself together. Thank you again.
When you released this video I had not read Berserk and I stopped part way through so I could experience it myself. I have been reading it through the Dark Horse Deluxe Editions, and for all intents and purposes, I am caught up, waiting for volume 14 to release this November and I can FINALLY say thank you for this video. I have always wanted to read Berserk but it was your video that gave a reason to do so. ❤
thank you so much for this. Berserk is one of my favourite pieces of art, period. Miura’s death hit me hard in a year where I had already lost a family member. I haven’t gone back through the series out of a kind of fear that would be left wouldn’t be enough. This video reminded me to move past that fear. Thank you 🖤
started the video, got interested and watched the whole 97 anime, liked it, loved the music, finished the rest of the video, very good work. Started to read the manga. thanks!
I got into Berserk ‘97 when I was completely cynical about anime. A friend was adamant that I watch it. Finished it in 2-3 sittings. Really loved it so I decided to collect the manga. I was taken aback how insanely dark it got. Lost interest around book 25. It just came off like they’ll never get to resolving Casca’s arc or Guts’ conflict with Griffin. They’d just add more characters, expand the world, but never answer the question that got me into the series. I’d check in every once in a while to see if there were any major story developments, and saw that Casca got her memory back. A month or two later, found out that he passed away. It was deflating, but it made me appreciate the series more. Glad that I had privilege of experiencing a great story & fantastic art throughout the years. Fantastic video.
This makes me want to read berserk. Anytime people talked about it they just said it was dark and edgy and offensive and SJW’s hate it blah blah blah but this video made me realize it’s more than that
I feel like the difference between being dark and being edgy is how much weight you put on the messed up moments. SAO deservedly gets a lot of hatred. It tries so hard to be dark, but doesn’t give any sort of weight to things like attempted rape or death. It just kinda happens and the characters basically walk it off. It’s there for shock value, and once it’s over, you just feel gross or bored. Berserk is a hundred times darker and more fucked up than SAO, and I’d argue Black Swordsman is pretty edgy at times, but for the most part all the gore and rape and death has impact. Like she said in the video, Guts is raped, but it isn’t just something there to shock you, it’s part of his life now. He has to deal with it forever, and it haunts him and contributes greatly to how the Eclipse effected him, and the creation of the Beast of Darkness inside of him. Hell, even things like Guts killing Corkus’ buddies when they try to mug him at the start of Golden Age has some ramifications. Corkus consistently mentions how upset he is that Guts lobbed off a dude’s arm and killed another. It isn’t brushed off until the Night Raid, where Guts steals the show and gains the approval of everyone in the band. Sure, that’s a small detail, but it shows that death means something, even with complete randies who were written in just to show off how strong Guts is.
I picked up the Berserk manga at my local library, and I'm in love with it. In the span of 4 days or so, I've gotten to the Conviction arc and loving the ride it's taking me on. Thank you for convincing me to read it.
The final deluxe volume just dropped a while ago so now it's easy to get your hands on all the material. All 14 books are on sale on Amazon right now. I have a shelf dedicated to it. Once a month I ordered one. At the book store they were around 80 dollars each but on Amazon they're as cheap as 27 dollars.
I can understand why Wyald is hated and I know he’s there mostly for shock value but he also does play a valid role, he establishes just how depraved Apostles are and the lengths they’re willing to go to forgo their humanity, but the best explanation I’ve ever seen for Wyalds inclusion is this… He’s the first DPS check.
When that music kicked in near the end, I started to cry. Thank you for this video. Berserk has a lot of special memories for me, and I loved it. Thank you for doing it justice.
this video feels like it captures so much empathy which other videos on berserk miss, absolutely wonderful it feels great to not have a video on berserk talk about how badass guts is and focus on his humanity. your analysis of the manga was very insightful, and the last 10 minutes made me cry, bravo!! I'd always seen berserk 1997 written off as low budget and bad but now I'm going to give it a shot, thank you emily
Thanks so much for this video! A former friend used Berserk as a cruel cudgel in our friend group and for about a year now I've been really soured on it, even hated it. But seeing it through your eyes in this video has lessened the sting- you've made me a believer that Berserk is good, actually, even if it's not for me.
Thank you so much for making this. I was a more recent fan of Berserk and my first time interacting with it was the '97 anime. It was great, and then right after I started reading the manga, the news broke that Kentaro Miura died. I wasn't hit with as heavy of an impact since I wasn't a long time fan, but as I kept reading I realized more and more how much of a tragedy his passing was and appreciated his genius more and more. Berserk got me through some really rough times in the last year, and brought me some moments like the ones you touched on that I'll never forget. I loved this video and am so glad there are others who understand finding comfort in this amazing story. I'll definitely be checking out more of your content!
I totally agree that Berserk 97' is a very good anime. I started the series with this anime. The songs are awesome. I listened Guts' Theme for two weeks continuously. Some notes feels as they are accidentally played and it is fully intentional. It reflects the world of Berserk. Imperfect and full of failings. I want people to create more media from this series. However, I am sure that it won't happen completely or in a right way. I at least hope that people will acknowledge this series and inspired by it so more fantasies can conquer our hearts.
I've always heard there was more to Berserk than what my thoughts on it were, and friends have tried to get me to watch the original anime, (along in a watch party) where I ended up only just jumping in at only the worst times for me, someone who's very squeamish, and so learning more about the series in a more controlled environment of this video I really appreciate. I'm still not completely sure if I'll give the series another try because, I still have a hard time with the more intense things, but this really helps me appreciate that the intense scenes aren't waisted.
I know this video is old, but I did want to say I started the series with the 2016 adaption and I'm really glad I gave the rest of the series a chance rather than drop it entirely. I stopped watching the series only around four or five episodes into season 2, because it wasn't interesting or engaging and I spent most of the time confused. The visuals were especially hard to put up with. I'm really glad I watched the original anime adaption and later the manga because it's now one of my favorites, but I can see tons of people disregarding the entire series because of the 2016 adaption as it fails to grab new audience members and actually engage them, especially as it is one of the most accessible version of the series.
The demon Guts was banging was the one who killed Corkus in much the same way Guts killed her. That was revenge for The Eclipse. Black swordsman gets context in subsequent arcs.
As a person who's known about Berserk but never really got interested in it you made go and immediately buy the first volume, I really loved how you described your experience and why it such a unique work of art, amazing video!
I’ve been primarily listening to the video without watching and the clang legit sounds like someone opening a cabinet in their messy, unorganized kitchen and then all of their old, rarely used pots, pans and cooking sheets fall out on the ground
Thank you, Miura's death was the first thing in about 5 years to make me cry, this was the second, it's nice to know people resonate with Berserk at this level.
When it comes to the closing credits' music, "Waiting So Long," I always thought it was the perfect closing theme. It was emotional, foreboding, and nothing short of dramatic. I feel it embodies the themes in the episode you just saw perfectly.
