Product Details

• Actors: Artist Not Provided
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Anime Works
• DVD Release Date: November 18, 2003
• Run Time: 623 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000CABH8
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,595 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

• This is item 7 in The Berserk DVDs Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Based on a popular manga by Kentaro Muira, Berserk (1997) presents a dark, gritty vision of medieval warfare that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill chivalric tales. Guts is a brooding warrior, haunted by internal and external demons, who fights with an enormous two-handed sword. When he's defeated in hand-to-hand combat by the elegant Griffith, Guts joins The Band of the Hawk, his elite mercenary corps. Although he presents himself as a pure idealist, Griffith uses kidnapping, prostitution, and murder to advance his standing in the Kingdom of Midland during its protracted war with Chuder. But when Griffith rashly seduces Princess Charlotte of Midland, the King imprisons him and decimates the Hawks. After spending a year training with a master sword-smith, Guts rejoins the remaining White Hawks to rescue Griffith, but the torture master has mutilated him so horribly, he can no longer command his followers. When he finds the Egg of the King gem, all hell breaks loose--literally. Griffith chose a violent destiny that culminates in his transformation into a demon-prince, and the White Hawks are devoured by misshapen creatures from the nether world. The grisly ending doesn't fit the rest of the story: what began as a violent but powerful tale of loyalty and valor collapses into a bloody gore-fest that recalls Legend of the Overfiend. (Rated 16 and older, but unsuitable for viewers under 17: graphic violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, profanity, nudity, sexual situations, rape, torture) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome Series that should of lived longer, October 30, 2004

By	Ironman "ironman6662" (Carmel, IN USA) - See all my reviews

Berserk like so many Anime Series is an incomplete one. The tales of Guts and his quest to destroy the Godhand were never told as this series was all buildup to that.

The series is basically the first set part of the story on how Guts eventually came to hate the Godshand and their hords of Demons. The battles are violent and the story is actually very good (with good voice acting as well). It plays off as more of a Fantasy epic that ends with a Holy S--- ending that leaves you craving more. The story is very well told but sadly like so many other Anime series the full tales are never told as the series did not last past season 1. Thus there is a major feeling of incompletness that can now only be fullfilled with the Mangas. However what is here is an incredible series that combines wonderful story telling with gut wrenching violence. Highly recomended.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An epic story along the lines of Lord of the Rings, June 15, 2005

By	Courtney C. Valdez "Supafly" (San Fran Bay Area, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The first thing you may get out of hearing about Berserk is "how good can something called 'berserk' be?" To be honest, upon first hearing about the manga my brothers friend was reading, I was put off. I had no idea until I saw the series how INCREDIBLY deep it was. Guts may seem like a simple monster of a man who swings a big sword, but he quickly begins to peel away the layers that cover his true nature and it becomes clear that he is one of the great anime characters ever devised.

The story begins with a strange episode dealing with monsters. After the first episode, we are thrust back into the early years of Guts' life (I believe the story of the series ranges from Guts being 17 years old to 21). He is sought by a mercenary leader Griffith, who commands the Band of the Hawk. Needless to say, he joins them and from there the viewer is thrown into the middle of an incredible, sprawling epic. Huge battles ensue and characters perfectly compliment one another. The way the episodes are put together, you can't just watch one episode in a sitting. You are forced to continue it. I watched the entire series in one sitting the first time, and since whenever I do watch it I have to do the same thing. The story simply flows like water. It is complete with action, adventure, political intrigue, philosophy, and even a love story. While the music in some parts really falls, like in the intro song, there are some great pieces that are repeated throughout.

One thing that must be pointed out it is called Berserk, and for that it has a lot of violence and even nudity. However, it is toned down considerably from the manga. As the series comes to a close, you find yourself saying "Is that all?" No. In fact, the series entrenches only about a third of the entire story thus far. The manga is currently 29 volumes that run about 250 pages each. The series is roughly volumes 4-14. I suggest watching this series and then finding fan-translated scans of the manga, since only the first six are released in America. Trust me when I say the story of Berserk is unputdownable. The creator, Miura, states that he originally intended Berserk to be about 50 volumes, so even now it is hardly near completion.

Buy this boxed set. You will be hard pressed to find a better anime series than this.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the struggle, December 4, 2003

By A Customer

I am an anime fan. I had heard of the Berserk anime and manga series long ago, yet haven't touched them thinking nothing of it. One day, I decided to purchase the Sega Dreamcast game "Sword of the Berserk" which is an actual side story from the manga. The game itself was well done; Albeit more sitting and watching than playing, But even moreso the story was excellent and quite moving.

After playing through the game, I decided to tap into the anime.

I was shocked. Berserk was far more real to me than any of the candy coated Evangelion and Escaflowne of sorts. You can really feel the emotion erupting straight from the characters - Like you are fighting alongside them, experiencing the pain and the glory and the love and the tragedy - The struggle. You can really identify with the characters.

This has fairly much ruined most anime for me now, because there seams to be nothing that comes close to the deep and complex story that is Berserk.

Other reviewers can tell you of more details about Berserk. I can only say that if you're brave enough to try something different than the brightly colored happy types - A full range of emotional outpoor and the Black Swordsman are waiting to engulf you.