Berserk English Dub 1997

[Marilina Crawn]

Berserk, also known in Japan as Kenpū Denki Berserk,[a] is a Japanese anime television series based on Kentaro Miura's manga series of the same name. The series was produced by Nippon Television and VAP, animated by Oriental Light and Magic and directed by Naohito Takahashi. It was broadcast for 25 episodes on Nippon TV from October 1997 to April 1998. Berserk was formerly licensed for English release in North America by Media Blasters, and later acquired by Discotek Media. Berserk has been well-received, with critics praising its storytelling, characters, setting, and soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa.

Berserk was produced by Nippon Television and VAP, animated by Oriental Light and Magic, and directed by Naohito Takahashi.[6][7] The series begins with the original manga's Black Swordsman arc, continuing through the Golden Age arc,[8] covering 12 volumes (and part of the 13th volume) of the manga.[9][10] Its 25 episodes were broadcast in Japan on Nippon TV from October 8, 1997, to April 1, 1998.[7][b] VAP collected the episodes on VHS, with 13 sets released from February 1, 1998, to January 21, 1999.[12][13] The series was later released on seven DVDs, from April 23 to October 22, 2003.[14][15] VAP released the series on a Blu-ray box set on January 18, 2012.[16][17]

In North America, it was originally reported that Urban Vision was negotiating the license to series for English release;[18][19] however, it was then confirmed that Berserk was licensed by Media Blasters.[19] The English dub was produced by NYAV Post.[20] Around 2002, there were plans to air the series on the Sci-Fi Channel; however, Media Blasters warned them that the violence would require too many cuts.[21] Media Blasters released the series on VHS and six DVDs, under its Anime Works label,[22] from May 28, 2002, to May 27, 2003.[23][24][25] A complete DVD collection was released on November 16, 2004,[26] and a remastered edition was released on March 10, 2009.[27] In December 2012, Media Blasters announced that the rights to the series had expired.[28][29] In January 2024, Discotek Media announced that they had licensed the series,[30] and released it on a Blu-ray set on March 26 of the same year.[31]

In the United Kingdom, Berserk was licensed by MVM Films.[32] The six DVDs were released from September 3, 2007, to July 7, 2008.[33][34] MVM re-released the series' complete DVD collection on October 11, 2010, and the Blu-ray collection on February 6, 2017.[35][36][2] In Australia and New Zealand, Madman Entertainment released the six DVDs between December 2, 2002,[37] and June 18, 2003.[38] The complete DVD collection was released on March 17, 2004, and the Blu-ray collection on February 21, 2018.[39][40]

Susumu Hirasawa composed the music for Berserk. Penpals [ja] performed the opening theme "Tell Me Why" and Silver Fins performed the ending theme "Waiting so long".[7] "Berserk -Forces-" was released as a single by Nippon Columbia (Teslakite) on November 1, 1997;[41] "Tell Me Why" and "Waiting so long" were released by VAP on November 6, 1997.[42][43]

Kenpū Denki Berserk: Original Soundtrack (剣風伝奇ベルセルク オリジナルサウンドトラッック, Kenpū Denki Beruseruku Orijinaru Saundotorakku) was released by VAP on November 6, 1997.[44]

Zac Bertschy, writing for SciFi.com, stated that Berserk is "possibly the most mature, intelligent, and just flat-out kick-butt fantasy series to ever come across the market", adding that the series explores themes like child abuse and schizophrenia, and that it is "a major departure from other common anime fantasy series; it goes where most fear to tread." Bertschy concluded: "If you're a big fantasy fan and like mature, adult stories that aren't afraid to explore even the darkest pits of the psyche, then Berzerk [sic] is for you."[51] In another review for ANN, Bertschy said that Berserk is the finest example of dark fantasy available on the market and that its original manga basis "surpasses all others in terms of quality and popularity", adding that the series "remains enchanting, entertaining and truly terrifying to this day."[1]

Writing for About.com, Serdar Yegulalp said that Berserk is a "grim but utterly gripping fantasy that makes Lord of the Rings look like Anne of Green Gables", calling its violence "brutal and disturbing", but that it has an "epic storytelling with unforgettable characters."[53] In another review, Yegulalp commented: "Despite its abbreviated, abortive form, and despite a relatively crude animation style, Berserk was, and still is, one of the best anime of its kind", adding that, like Game of Thrones, Berserk "has an appeal far beyond the fantasy-adventure fans who became the show's first and most vocal champions."[54]

But with a premise like that, what makes it something that I want to dive back into, time and again? How is that not a grueling, painful experience to throw oneself against, seemingly for fun? The beauty of Berserk is ultimately how, even though it is primarily known for its gruesome violence and its reputation for being an extraordinarily rough watch, it tells such a hopeful, nuanced, and deeply human story, even in the midst of the deep despair it dives into.

I think that, if anything, the biggest takeaway here is that the 1997 Berserk (and, really, Berserk as a whole) was not at all what I expected it to be, and I am delighted for that. Even as I write this, I still imagine some of the highest and lowest moments, the emotional cores of this show, and I find myself wanting to throw myself back into its world yet again. I love these characters. I ache for them as they grow, and love, and suffer, and struggle, and hope. And if any of this at all has sounded even remotely interesting to you, I urge you to take the plunge.

The anime series was directed by Naohito Takahashi and produced by Oriental Light and Magic, airing on Japan's Nippon Television starting from October 7, 1997 and ending on March 31, 1998. The Anime covers Volumes 1 (Chapters 1 and 2, though fused into Chapter 1 along with reference to later Chapters in Volume 2), the end chapter of Volume 3 (where Gambino discovers Guts at a tree of execution), Volumes 4 through 10 and then Volumes 12 and 13 in the manga. Volume 11 is omitted entirely in the anime to remove the character Wyald, but the events of the volume are instead replaced with a similar (but much shorter) scenario involving human characters.

To make the animated series fit within 25 episodes, changes had to be made. Characters like Puck, Donovan, Skull Knight, Theresia, The Count, and Wyald were removed, as well as the opening scene with the Female Apostle was omitted (though she still exists during the Eclipse). The Count's story, Guts' fight with Wyald and many explicit scenes have been edited heavily, removing much of the gore in favor of heavy blood splatter instead of eyeballs, brains, innards and otherwise flying all over the place. The sex scene between Casca and Guts was cut down, as well as Femto's rape of Casca.

Berserk is one of the darkest, bloodiest and best manga franchises of all time, with the series gaining several fans throughout the decades. The series had also had numerous adaptations, including video games, merchandise and, of course, anime. There were two Berserk anime series, but in many ways, they couldn't be more different.

The first Berserk series was a notable fantasy anime from the 1990s, with many regarding it as a strong adaptation of the source material, even with its differences from the manga. On the other hand, the 2016 anime was much more controversial, becoming a rather infamous anime that's still controversial to this day. The result is two vastly different takes on the same story, both of which are being reflected upon in light of the upcoming, unofficial new Berserk anime.

Handled by GEMBA, Millepensee and Liden Films, the 2016 Berserk anime was the manga's second TV adaptation. It wasn't necessarily a remake of the material from the 1997 series. Instead, the new anime was a sequel to the Berserk: The Golden Age Arc trilogy of anime movies, the likes of which did adapt the material that the 1997 show had covered. The 2016 series adapts elements of Volumes 16 through 29 of the manga, but it's not as clear of a throughline as in previous animated takes on the material. The story sees Guts already acting as the Black Swordsman, which was a development only hinted at in the previous anime. Berserk 2016 also takes place after one of the darkest events in the manga, with Guts' lover, Casca, having undergone traumatic abuse. Now marked with a brand that attracts evil entities, Guts sets off to finally get his revenge on his eternal rival, Griffith.

Although Berserk had grown in popularity since the first anime adaptation, the 2016 anime didn't quite take advantage of its popularity. Instead, this iteration quickly became infamous among the fandom, and for several good reasons. As mentioned, it jumped around with how it adapted the story of the manga, giving the series several pacing issues. At times, it felt more like a Berserk showcase than a true narrative adaptation, especially compared to how the movies and the 1997 show handled things. The 1997 series did cut out certain parts of the manga, but the overall story didn't suffer and plot beats were still handled in a fairly fluid manner. Nevertheless, the core elements of Miura's manga were still present, even if they looked a lot uglier than usual.

The biggest issue with the 2016 Berserk series wasn't what was adapted or how it. Instead, the animation and art style was noted as a major problem that even those who hadn't seen the series noted. The anime utilized a combination of traditional and computer-generated animation, and the end result was less than impressive at absolute best. Characters moved and reacted in a plodding fashion, resembling the poorly-aged digitized graphics of early 3D video games. This made the story's graphic violence downright laughable, and detracted from the elements that the plot did get right. Ultimately, one of the best parts of the action-based manga series was completely fumbled. Things improved as the series went on, but given the acclaim given to the Berserk manga, it was a shame that the modern anime adaptation had become a veritable meme.

c80f0f1006