In the world of anime there seems to be a lack of meaning in the story with many staying on one path with the end goal just being defeating the villain but there is one that is special and different from these, this is called Berserk (1997). Berserk is a manga series created by the late Kentaro Miura as a seinen series, a seinen is a manga with each new chapter being released monthly and having a more serious meaningful story. Berserk is broken up into 5 arcs, each one tackling topics of moving on, trauma, self worth, philosophy’s, opening up, and being grateful of the ones around you. Berserk has had many anime adaptations but the one I talk about today was made in 1997 and is an adaptation of the Golden Age arc.
In the Golden Age arc we are introduced to Guts, our protagonist, and his journey through the land of Midland. Berserk is set in a medieval fantasy world which has concepts like fate, causality, purpose, and dreams. As we follow Guts we see how this world is and it is dark and violent but in this world we see there is light with characters that eventually become Gut’s friends. The beauty of Berserk is seeing so many human characters, the way they act, their goals/motivations, and how these all collide to make the story of Berserk. The further on the story goes we see Guts and how he matures into a man who searches for his dreams and passion with life and sees how he tackles his various problems. What I personally love so much about Berserk is the way the story unfolds as we see time and time again fate being a big push throughout the story and how Guts and many other characters fight fate and react to causality itself.
When I think about Berserk I think about meaning and this story has meaning and can help anyone who has problems with what they might do in their future find their own purpose in life. If you are looking for a passion then you should watch Berserk as it’s not just about which character is stronger but about maturity, appreciation and identity. In conclusion I think Berserk is worth not just one watch but many to truly understand what it is trying to relay to you.
