Review of Berserk: Volume 3

Introduction

2008 is upon us. Well, it`s upon me, as everyone else will have to wait another month. But this is the time of year when companies and studios are looking fondly towards that Christmas break, and rather than have everything tied up for two weeks while the nation shuts down, or buried at the bottom of a sack while some poor postie suffers from Christmas Card hernia, they tend to get their review discs off extra early. Which is why I bring to you Berserk: Volume 3, a whole month before it goes on sale. Is it wrong for me to be thinking about Easter holidays now?

The European mediaeval period has been the setting for countless films and shows, but I have trouble recalling whether I have seen it done in anime before. If uniqueness is a selling point then Berserk gets off to a good start in that respect. Set in the fictional nation of Midland, it follows the story of a young mercenary named Guts, who wields an unfeasibly large sword, one that would have Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy green with envy. After proving his prowess on the battlefield, he is recruited by a powerful mercenary lord named Griffith into his Band Of The Hawk, in the ongoing war between Midland and the neighbouring Chuder Empire.

The previous volume saw the success of the Band Of The Hawk elevate them to the highest circles in the royal court of Midland. It turned out that the constant Machiavellian politics and jockeying for position was more dangerous than any of the battles that Griffith and his men had fought against the Chuder Empire. A man from common stock, many were offended by Griffith`s rise to power, and when he caught the eye of Princess Charlotte, some were moved to get rid of this upstart. Having survived an assassination attempt during a royal hunt, Griffith moved to get revenge. Four more episodes are presented by MVM here in this third volume.

10. Noble Men
Griffith realises that the man behind the assassination attempt is his direct rival and closest to the throne, Count Yurius. He needs to be dealt with, but discreetly, and Griffith turns to Guts to carry out the dark deed. While Griffith is getting close to Princess Charlotte at a royal dance, Guts sneaks into Yurius` residence. But things go wrong when Yurius` son walks in and witnesses the attack. Guts has chosen a path that can`t be returned from.

11. The Battle
A massive army is mustered, and under the command of the new general Griffith, sets forth to take on the forces of Chuder. Charlotte wishes Griffith to carry a keepsake of hers, something that riles her mother no end. It`s a difficult battle ahead, with Chuder`s forces being led by Lord Adon. Guts is distracted as he reflects over the nature of his friendship with Griffith. Meanwhile Griffith`s other lieutenant, Caska has troubles of her own. It is the wrong time of the month for her to be fighting.

12. Together
Caska and Guts are trapped behind enemy lines. They`re hiding out in a cave while Caska recovers from her inconvenience. She`s none too pleased at being rescued by Guts, as she still blames him for bringing out Griffith`s reckless streak. To pass the time, and avoid killing each other, Caska tells Guts of her miserable past, and how Griffith rescued her and empowered her to take control of her life.

13. Prepared For Death
With Lord Adon and his men closing in, Guts and Caska have to leave their shelter and find their way back to their own forces. But with Caska still weak, it isn`t long before they are surrounded. Guts finds it hard to go berserk with a woman to protect.

Video

Berserk gets a 4:3 transfer that takes us back in time to when CGI was an expensive tool for only the biggest budget productions, and when people still animated with paints, pen and ink on little pieces of acetate. Even when compared with its contemporaries like Trigun, Berserk seems to fade into the background, with a dull and understated feel, an uninspiring palette of colours, and animation that only ever does enough, and nothing more. Having said that, there is a consistency and level of detail that never makes you feel as if you are watching something cheap and rushed.

The transfer itself is pretty creaky. There is a slight degree of print damage and grain, but never enough to really stand out. Occasionally obvious are videotape artefacts and an overall softness that simply can`t match up to contemporary efforts.

Audio

You have a simple choice between DD 2.0 English and Japanese, with optional translated English subtitles. I opted for the Japanese as always, and found the audio to be suitable. There isn`t a great degree of separation, but the dialogue is clear. I wasn`t too impressed with the theme tunes, but the incidental music is excellent, suiting the action and the quieter moments well. It`s no surprise when you see Susumu Hirasawa`s name in the credits, the composer who would later go on to collaborate with Satoshi Kon on his films, as well as the Paranoia Agent series.

I had forgotten what older dubs sounded like. I always opt for the original language track, and while I can nitpick modern dubs, they are a world away from what dubs used to be like ten or so years ago. Berserk`s dub sounds as if it overlays the action, instead of being part of it. It`s of the type where voices are chosen for the look of the character. And none of it is really all that good.

Features

The extra features offer a little more than the average anime disc; beginning of course with the obligatory animated menus and jacket picture. You`ll also find 27 line-images in a Production Sketches gallery, 5 minutes of English voice actor screw-ups in Outtakes, 8 minutes of storyboards taken from episode 13, the original opening and the textless closing.

Conclusion

It`s easy to be snobbish about old things, and the old way of doing them. Most modern audiences would eschew traditional 2D animation for today`s shiny CG variety, having been indoctrinated with films like Toy Story and Shrek. Naturally I still see a place for 2D animation in everyday entertainment, but I still have my biases. I find that watching older animation, particularly older serial animation becomes a chore. I grew up with Filmation cartoons, and even have nostalgic memories of Tarzan. But not too long ago, I saw an episode of Star Trek the Animated Series, and I found it unbearable. Limited animation, repeated shots, and a small library of eye-candy stock footage usually typifies the older `toon, and the stories weren`t much better. Then all of a sudden a show appears that reminds you why you shouldn`t insert CGI into old sci-fi, why you shouldn`t colourise black and white movies, and why you shouldn`t write off an anime just because it`s old.

Berserk is old, and worse it looks even older. Made in 1997, it could have come from the mid-eighties, yet the animation accomplishes what it sets out to do, tell the story, and that story is very good indeed. This is a tale built on the strength of its characters, and the characters take centre stage in this volume, against the background of warfare, and court intrigue. Guts faces his toughest challenge yet, when Griffith asks him to murder his rival. It`s one thing facing an enemy on the battlefield; it`s another to stab a supposed ally in the back. Rather than the clean kill, it turns out to be the messiest affair possible, with Guts` hands drenched in blood. Worse, when he happens to overhear Griffith describe his idea of friendship, of whom he would consider an equal, Guts realises that by acquiescing to his request, he may have lessened himself in Griffith`s estimation.

The flashback sequence does much to relate Caska`s background. She`s from a small border town that was constantly being raided, attacked or taxed. It was a hard life that she was desperate to escape from, and when a nobleman showed interest in her as a servant, her family were quick to make the `sale`. Of course she wound up needing rescuing from said nobleman, and it was Griffith who came to her rescue. What`s interesting is the way that Griffith secured her loyalty, first her gratitude by rescuing her, then her guilt by placing her in a situation where she had to kill. It`s similar to how he has manipulated Guts. Through Caska`s story, we also get an insight into Griffith. He`s an up and coming young warrior of common stock who wants more in life, and his plan is to build an all powerful army to help him. He`s naturally charismatic, and followers flock to his banner. But we see his humanity when one of those followers dies, and although he tries to bury it, he does have loyalty to his troops, even though he professes that he will use them up on his way to the top. We learn exactly what he is willing to sacrifice to achieve his ends, and it`s an unpleasant realisation for us and for Caska.

Whenever presented with a Berserk review disc, I always get a little reluctant to watch it, recalling the archaic look of the animation, but as soon as I press play, it all changes, as once again I`m engrossed in a complex, entertaining and rewarding story. This is one to buy without hesitation.