Berserk Alpha Case DVD Box

Quick review. Awesome Series, many reviews have been written about this for the individual discs and the other version of the complete season 1 set (the $140 version). Only difference I find in this set is the new slimmer packaging, all six discs come in an interestingly economically designed pack (about as wide as say... a Lord of Rings Collectors set of Fellowship of the Rings). But, these ARE THE SAME discs with all the extras including the outtakes and production art. One annoyance perhaps, the disc art is also the same, so there is no description of what episodes are contained on each disc... Just the title given to the disc when they were being sold individually. Thought I'd write this since I couldn't find any other information on this set and what was already out there prior to its release.

Berserk, as a series, is one of those anime that starts out--at least after the first episode--slowly, and in many moments, boringly. It's essentially a character introduction in a series. We are dragged along by the will of the creators as they show us this massive, angry man named Guts. During the series, we learn of his willpower, his skill with the sword, and of his penchant for murder. Also, we meet two people intricately tied to him, Caska and Griffith, one a future lover, the other a future enemy. Odd thing is, it isn't that clear between the two which is which until about halfway through.

Berserk is a dark fantasy, literally. It takes place in a fantasy setting, often drenched in blood and dread, and men are constantly hewing other men in half with swords, spears, axes, or halberds. There are few morals beyond loyalty and brotherhood in battle, a moral found in every anime, TV show, or movie that deals with war. But the themes are there, and all of the them are dark, dealing mostly with murder, vengeance, and greed (or just about every one of the Seven Deadly Sins). But what's clear is that Berserk never tries to be anything else. It doesn't mislead you with slapstick, or with constant, giggly characters. The atmosphere is thick, and it never lets up. If you don't like the first episode, then you won't like the series. It immediately tries to scare away the faint of heart early on.

Though at times the animation quality could be better, the style here is a little different in that they follow few of the regular anime guidelines. Some of the characters have big eyes, but beyond that they are proportioned perfectly, giving the animation a sense of reality, which of course only adds to the intensity of the story. The animation gets a little better during moments of single combat, usually when Guts is swinging his sword, making the action scenes worth watching. Though rarely, they do recycle animation (moments that's found earlier on in an episode, like firing a volley of arrows, repeated in a later scene or after a commercial break), which can be off-putting at times. Most of this, though, is done in the earlier episodes, so it's easy to forget about.

Beyond that, other bonuses include a decent fantasy soundtrack that matches well to the mood of the scenes in the anime. Most of the characters are unique in some way to anime. And, though this can't really be considered a bonus for some, it has plenty of violence, enough to spread across two or even three different anime. So, if you like this in your anime, then here it is.

It's hard to recommend this anime because Berserk doesn't compare to many other fantasy anime, besides Record of Lodoss War. It does compare to other anime outside Berserk's genre, however, so if you enjoyed 3 x 3 Eyes, Doomed Megalopolis, or are now enjoying Gantz or Elfen Lied, then pick this up. Berserk is a great series, not one of the best, but still close. It has a solid story, with interesting characters that drive the action and the plot.

Berserk was one of the first anime I ever saw, and it was the one that really got me hooked on anime in general. That was several years ago (when I was sixteen or thereabouts), and Berserk still remains one of my favourite titles.

One of the things that I appreciated about it, aside from the intense animation and plot, was the fact that it made me appreciate a genre I might otherwise have passed off as a purely male thing. Berserk has its share of violence and gore and gratuitous blood spurting, but it also has drama and touches of romance and humour. (No, it's NOT shoujo, it simply has depth that a lot of violent series lack.) It's something that a girl of sixteen could enjoy wholeheartedly.

The outtakes are absolutely hilarious (I wish more animated series and films did them); if you've never heard 'Griffith' sing 'I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say No,' it's worth it.

The only issue I have is with the packaging of this set. While I appreciate the slimmer design, a thinpak idea in the style of ADV would have been better than two discs layered on a card. It's really, really annoying having to take out discs to get to the one you want (and the ones on the front and back of the case are very difficult to remove, inviting damage).

If you get this, I recommend getting some slim DVD cases as well and doing away with the stock case. I've had some obnoxious DVD storage situations, and this one is just more trouble than it's worth.

This is a fantastic show that has a much broader potential fanbase than one would expect, and I recommend it strongly. It is not, however, for the squeamish (though it is nowhere near as graphic as the manga).

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 23 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars