Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Berserk: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Berserk is an action-packed adventure series bringing the popular tale back to life. Created by Kentarou Miura, the series finds new arenas to explore in the new take on the old fan-favorite classic. Featuring original animation produced by GEMBA (The Magnificent KOTOBUKI, Mobile Suit Gundam G40) and Millepensee (Takamiya Nasuno Desu!, Wake Up, Girls! New Chapter), Berserk is a sword-tale that enthusiasts of action-anime will be pleased to discover.

An adrenaline-infused action-packed anime series, Berserk follows the exploits of the lone warrior Guts (Hiroaki Iwanaga), who is also known as the “Black Swordsman” warrior. Guts traverses across the land with a sword in hand – ready to fight. Originally part of a group of elite mercenaries known as the Band of the Hawk, Black Swordsman is now walking solo – on a quest to find revenge.

Determined to slay Griffith, the Black Swordsman is seeking his own form of justice on a journey with only one aid: the fairy-like elf Puck. Blood- soaked battle awaits the Black Swordsman as he seeks the Apostles. Can Guts take the life of Griffith in a rampage of grueling horror?

Guts (the “Black Swordsman”) is a lone-spirit type of hero. The character has some inherent darkness that is essential to the core of the character arc and the storyline. As the drama unfolds, Guts has an abundance of gutso while wielding his blade. There is a sense that the character is on a mission that Guts alone can traverse. This is fundamental to the genre and the tone of the production.

The series features excellent animation. The top-notch art direction by Hiroshi Itō (Celestial Method, Date A Live) provides the production with exquisite depth and darkness. The art style is uniquely creative and fits the dark-roots of the production. The background art is gritty and provocative.

The original character designs by Hisashi Abe (Pet Shop of Horrors, Gunslinger Girl) are one of the core elements of the series. The designs are well-balanced and fit the main protagonists of the series well. Guts is well drawn and with a compelling character-design that demonstrates the sheer muscle power inherit to the character. The design for Puck draws from folklore and classic tales and there is something uniquely compelling about the artistic approach for the character.

The action sequences are at the core of the series success. The epic battles are fantastic fun for fans of dark and gritty Japanese animation. Holding his sword-in-hand, Guts is ready to have some blood-soaked fun. These epic battles are key to the series success and why audiences may want to partake in exploring the universe of Berserk.

The original score composed by Shiro SAGISU (Battle Royal High School, His and Her Circumstances) is adrenaline-packed fun. The music provides a solid backdrop to the production and helps the action sequences to have a better sense of gravitas. The music certainly imbues the characters with the necessary elements for the drama to unfold. The score feels like a solid fit for the genre roots.

Written by Makoto Fukami (Blade of the Immortal, Psycho-Pass), Berserk explores a dark and foreboding world while finding a balance of action and drama. The script by Fukami brings the character storytelling to life and finds a compelling way to explore the universe of the tale. The script focuses on delivering an engaging concept and the results certainly work well for the series. A solid effort from Fukami.

Directed by Shin Itagaki (Devil May Cry, Black Cat), Berserk focuses on the action element. The directing manages to make a solid visual impression. Itagaki understands the grittiness and rawness of the series helps the production to feel more mature and compelling. Itagaki certainly excels in these arenas and makes Berserk a more compelling anime series as a result. Fans of action anime will find the effort by Itagaki compelling.

Berserk: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Berserk is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is impressive and manages to capably preserve the original animation. The art style is dark and gritty and the encoding preserves the series aesthetic well. Colors are well balanced and the dark aesthetic of the cinematography is well reproduced. The action sequences are well encoded on the release. There are no egregious issues with compression. A solid effort from Funimation.

Berserk: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The audio presentation on the release is excellent and manages to imbue the production with more subtleties. Dialogue is certainly well reproduced on the release and is crisp and clear. The soundtrack is effectively encoded and music sounds great as well. Despite having a 5.1 surround mix, the stereo audio imaging is quite good. Fans of the original language audio will be pleased with the audio options provided.

Berserk: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 2:

Promo Videos (HD, 3:20)

Textless Opening Song "Inferno" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Meimoku no Kanata" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 8:22)

Disc 3:

Episode 12.5 (HD, 24: 28)

Disc 4:

Commercials (HD, 00:49)

Textless Opening Song "Sacrifice" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Everything is a Story" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 6:05)

Berserk: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Berserk is dark and gritty television for the modern era. The series explores the journey of Guts and his epic mission. The animation on the series is grim and complex. The direction is creative and aesthetically energized. The Blu-ray release features a solid video and audio presentation. The release comes with a surprisingly competent selection of bonus features. The set has more extras than some anime sets have and it even provides episode 12.5 (presented in high-definition).