Berserk, Vol. 1: War Cry (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

Good enough to want more.......2004-03-17

This is my first real exposure to anime. The only other time I watched some of it was in Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Volume 1", but it is only in a few passages in the movie that anime is used. Since I enjoy epic fantasy, I thought a good way to start out in anime was in a series that used this genre. I found that I enjoyed the first five episodes of "Berserk", and even though at some points I found myself having trouble figuring out where the story was going, I was left looking forward to the next disc in the series.

In the first episode, the Black Swordsman arrives in a town looking for a monster that has the habitants under his grip, living in a world of fear and misery. The Black Swordsman carries along a huge sword that is bigger than him, he is branded in one of his shoulders and is visited in his dreams by demons that claim to own him. At this point there is no clear plot in the story, but in the next four episodes the story goes back to our hero's youth and the viewer finds out that his name is Guts and he honors this name to the extreme. Guts meets with the Band of the Hawk, which is lead by Griffith, an effeminate but very skillful warrior. After some initial quarrels Guts joins the band of mercenaries and an interesting relationship develops between him, Griffith and Caska, who was until that moment the right hand of Griffith and apparently is in love with him. In episodes two through five there are three main points of interest intertwined in the story: the relationship between Guts and the other Band of Hawk members; the missions in which the band embarks gaining fame and respect; and the glimpses at Guts childhood, which helps the audience to make sense of some of his actions and attitudes.

The series starts out a little slow, but through the episodes, it captures the viewers' attention and one starts to sympathize with the main character. I was left craving for more information about the characters' past and future and will definitely get the next installment.

A Great and Dark Beginning to a Promising Series..........2004-01-18

Recently, I've been getting more and more interested in the art of anime. Anime is exciting, thrilling, deep, and even disturbing at times. Anime also has the undeniable power of telling an interesting story. I picked up "Berserk 1: War Cry" because it looked like something that was promising. After watching all of the first disc, I immediately ran out of the house to pick up the next two volumes and plan on getting the last remaining three very shortly. "Berserk" is a dark and haunting series that doesn't hold back for one single second.

The town of Midland is covered in darkness and evil as it is controlled by a treacherous king. Things change one night when a stranger by the name of Guts comes to town with vengeance on his mind. He fights with a sword that is twice his size and has uncontrollable urges of rage that gets the best of him. One thing is for sure as this exciting series begins; Guts is willing to wage a one-man war against the one who has done him wrong no matter what the cost.

The first episode deals with what's going on in the present while the other four deal with the past and history of Guts. While it's hard to know exactly what is going on with only the first five episodes, they are extremely involving and exciting. I found myself watching all five episodes in a row and wanting to watch more. I always admire stories that deal with flawed heroes, as those are the ones you can relate to the most. By no way is Guts a superhero by any means. He has demons and flaws, just like everybody else. While his strength and will is incredible and sometimes over-the-top, we buy into it because the character of Guts is portrayed with real flaws and emotion. So long as you can create a believable main character, everything else is fair game.

Be warned; this is no show for children. Just from seeing the first five episodes, I can already tell that it's only going to get darker and more disturbing. The episodes contain strong and brutal violence, extreme amounts of blood and gore, nudity, and dark and disturbing themes and imagery. The DVD contains outtakes, production sketches, trailers, and an art gallery.

"Berserk 1: War Cry" shows a promising and exciting start to a dark and haunting series. I cannot wait to watch the others and anticipate that it will be time well spent. If you're looking for some good and dark anime with interesting characters, "Berserk" might be something that you'll want to check out. Be sure to watch all five episodes before making any conclusions as to if you like what you're seeing. The "Berserk" series has a powerful start--can't wait to see where it's going to take me next. -Michael Crane

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