Personal impressions of the new film adaptation. What succeeded a what didn very Just a quick series. "Berserk: Beherit the Sovereign" is nothing more than the second adaptation of the manga of Kentaro Miura, released from 89 to the present day (37 volumes have been released so far). This is a rather serious, dark and cruel story, rich in unexpected twists and turns. Unique universe, exciting plot, elaborate characters, stylish and stunningly high-quality art. Manga "Berserk" is one of the most striking examples of the Dark Fantasy genre, which for a reason received a cult status around the world. The same can be said about the first film. With the only difference that both adaptations cover the arch of the Golden Age - the brightest and least fantastic part of the manga, telling about the youth of the swordsman Guts and explaining the further development of events.
Now about the second film adaptation, which received mixed reviews from old fans. The problem is definitely not that the new Berserk is a bad anime, which is not true. Today, when this type of art is inundated with romantic platitudes, nauseating kawai characters, loli and all sorts of other disguised perversions, the new Berserk feels like a breath of fresh air. More precisely, a breath of old, nostalgic air that returns you to childhood/adolescence/youth/youth. The time when anime was still perceived in our country not as “tastelessness for perverts”, but as something cruel, gloomy, designed for an adult audience. No, the problem is not that this film adaptation is bad. The thing is that it is designed mostly for new fans, forgetting at times about the old ones.
Why Cantaro Miura's new creation might not appeal to loyal fans? Because the hand of Kentaro Miura himself is not felt here, and first of all it concerns art. The screen adaptation of the year 97 at the time of release was not the most perfect in technological terms, and now it is completely outdated, but still the drawing there was very, very close to the original source, which cannot be said about the new adaptation: the characters have changed, the environment has changed, the author’s corporate style has been lost in places. You can find fault with the narrative – if sometimes small differences with the original are justified, then for the most part they are completely unfounded. The characters’ replicas were changed; some hints appeared that were not there before; some episodes important for revealing the characters were omitted or changed, and some of the characters were completely left behind. In general, the narrative is more confused and crumpled, and the new audience is likely to perceive events, characters, causes of certain actions differently. Where the series looked like animated manga pages, the feature looks like a Western adaptation with a changed style, in a more concise and free form.
Drawing in places depressing simplicity, and in places, on the contrary, impresses the quality and scrupulousness of the study. There are also drawbacks like a twitchy picture in dynamic scenes, controversial sensations from 3D graphics, etc., but in general you can watch.
The soundtrack has changed, but judging it is not so easy. I liked the old ending to the chills, and other compositions were remembered for a long time. But in the new film adaptation, the music is selected quite at the level, and what is better, what is worse is a matter of personal preferences.
I could not help but note the Russian localization – Reanimedia, as always, at a height unattainable by other domestic anime publishers. A little short of the voice of Gurren-Laganne (in my opinion their best work), but still very high quality and talented. The domestic edition definitely deserves to be bought, if only because Reanimedia is the only Russian company that still produces projects of this level in our country.
The new Berserk quite conveys the main message of the manga, retells the plot without critical differences, but at the same time misses something less obvious, but no less important. Personally for me, this film adaptation will not replace the previous and, especially, manga, but as an addition suits more than. Now I am waiting for my copy of the next part and hope that the creators will work on some shortcomings. And for those who are not familiar with the universe, I strongly recommend that you start your journey into this dark fantasy world with a manga – it is definitely worth it.
P.S. I specifically did not write a review after the first review, because I was not very pleased with some decisions and this could affect the assessment. Now, having given himself time to think over everything, having revised both adaptations, and having reread the original, he was able to approach the writing of the review more impartially and adequately. By the way, this film adaptation is worth thanking at least for the fact that it again aroused interest in the universe, pushing various manufacturers of merchandise to release new products.
8 out of 10
Original