Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
NakiKyoku
I have recently started the Berserk manga and fell in love with it. The story, characters, artwork, setting, dialogue..Everything about it really, I loved.
After completing the golden age arc I decided to go and check out the only anime adaptation that is well received among the fans and I have some mixed thoughts on it.
First off, the positives.
The soundtrack composed by one of my favorite artists Susumu Hirasawa is breathtaking. It really enhances a lot of powerful scenes and is just a beautiful listen overall.
A lot of moments were animated very well and the direction is for the most part really solid, however I will touch more on that in a bit as I have some heavy distaste for some of it.
The voice acting specifically the english dub is very solid. After 2 episodes of sub I switched t…
Read at the sourceAan1m
Still do this day the best adaption that berserk has gotten - for the time that this came out the animation is spectacular - it doesn’t hinder the adaptions at all - now onto the story I came into this show not knowing what to expect as I was fairly new to anime at that point but my god this anime was terrifyingly dark and traumatic - specifically the ending of this left me genuinely jaw dropped and almost traumatised as it is something that I just did not expect at all - at that point I realised why the manga is highly rated as it is and at that point Griffith became the most evil villain that would grace this medium - Ofc I wish that the anime had a continuation and that’s we would get to see the incredible full story but for what it is this anime still stands as one of the best and pass…
Read at the sourcePitBoy
DISCLAIMER!!
This anime depicts sexual abuse. Anyone sensitive to this, please be careful.
I'm going to focus in judging this as a Horror show, because I'm a big fan of Horror and this anime is tag as such. This doesn't really qualify as a Horror show for me, there are horrific moments, but they are not treated as Horror suspense where you worry about something about to happen to the characters, It's horrors is more akin to Dark Fantasy, they are there to stablish the plot and the dark and cruel world the characters exist in, but not really to make your hair stand up.
There is nothing really negative I can say about the anime, except maybe, that if you want to know how the story continues from here you have to read the manga which isn't finished and the author passed away. But when It co…
Read at the sourceSailorpuffpuff
I came into Berserk without reading the manga, and my only frame of reference towards to quality, was the edgelord slop edits online; however, having completed it, without a doubt I can say that it has a phenomenally gripping story, with fleshed out characters, heart wrenching moments, and some real badass fight scenes. But do not be fooled by it's accolades, it simultaneously has a miserable plot, with forced shock horror, and some real frustrating moments that would make an infant slap their forehead (why that infant was watching berserk is unbeknownst to me).
So lets dive into the Grit and Shit of the story ->
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Plot -Rating [5.8/10]- Kinda shitty
First of all, NO-ONE, yes absolutely, No one watches Berserk for the plot, and if someone says they like the plot, they don't u…
Read at the sourcetilopa
The ending was horrible. It was pretty gripping historical drama about ambition and destiny till it suddenly with 2-3 episodes left became a bad Lovecraftian parody? Monsters and Demons came in a setting of medeival England? Why? I couldnt believe it ended at the scene it did. The art style was great, the character dynamic was a bit lacking but I just felt it was a bait and switch from Dynastic politics to wierd revenge porn? If you knew about this going into it maybe you would like it more. The God like Griffith who so meticuolously planned everything down to the wire just before this suddenly forces himself on Princess Charlotte as soon as Guts leaves him? That made no sense.
Read at the sourceBlu3_Natsume
First review ever here on MAL: Overall, it's not great, but it's also not terrible.The story is nice. Guts and Casca are a perfect match because they both need healing. Griffith is the leader who will do anything to achieve his goal.
But, I must say that the ending made sense to me. If you take a metaphorical approach, you will see that building a dream and reaching it requires a lot of sacrifices. Throughout the journey of achieving your dream, you will be changed and different by the end, whether you want it or not.
Ultimately, I strongly believe that some will appreciate it more, while others will not (especially because of the ending).
Read at the sourcesillyclaire
Berserk 1997 is in no way a perfect adaptation of the manga, and is without a doubt too short and lacking in enough story substance to be a replacement for the manga. Despite these flaws, Berserk 1997 more than excels in atmosphere and is perfect for fans of beautiful 90's animation, dark storytelling, immaculate composition, and nostalgic colour grading.
Aside from the story and visuals, the music is unmatched. I personally did not expect a mix of new age synths and acid 303 basses littering the soundtrack, but the strange ethereal atmosphere it creates is perfect for Berserk's story. The electronic soundtrack and artwork perfectly create an atmosphere that feels unreal and dreamlike while the dark fantasy story and graphic violence pull that same atmosphere in a completely different dir…
Read at the sourceDlambert
This anime is about a single thing: struggle. Everybody has the choice of whether to wake up every day and face their own challenges, with varying degrees of foresight into what form they may take. Berserk '97 makes no statement as to the meaning of why people make this decision or their motivation. In fact, when the MC is asked why he continues to swing his sword, his response is essentially because I continue to exist. Therein lies the central thematic content: that to exist is to struggle against insurmountable forces which the individual has zero ability to enact meaningful consequence against. If this doesn't speak to you, I struggle to imagine the gilded fantasy in which you reside. Without stating specifics, the ending is the epitomal expression of this theme and, as far as I am con…
Read at the source_Bubassotto_
One of the few (perhaps the only) Berserk adaptations that's truly worth watching.
This version manages to capture something that other attempts simply fail to achieve: the raw, dark, and disturbing essence of the manga. Here, there's no excessive softening or fear of showing the work's most brutal side. The violence is direct, the horror is constant, and the discomfort is part of the experience, exactly as it should be. The anime doesn't shy away from the grotesque, the blood, or the heavy situations, and this is fundamental to conveying the weight of the world in which the story takes place.
Berserk has always been a difficult work to adapt. Its themes are complex, often controversial, and could easily be censored or diluted in an animated version. However, this adaptation stands out p…
Read at the sourceonny23
I'll be brief, unfortunately this anime came out in a period in which animations were not yet shining for modern technology because the story it adapts is a 10/10 masterpiece, even taking into account the animations I choose to give it 9/10 taking into account the period in which it came out, I read the manga and it was a point of reflection and pain 😭 on many occasions I hope that the authors (original and now the friend) live long enough to bring this story to a worthy ending and maybe and I say maybe give us a worthy anime to watch that pays homage to the original work. Anyway, wonderful soundtrack.
Read at the sourcejapaneseanime98
Berserk 1997 is a Japanese anime television series that is the king of fantasy. Lord of the Rings isn't the king of fantasy but a imposter. This Japanese animated television series has compelling characters, a great story, great lore, deep characterization, hyper-realistic story and deep psychological characters. The violence and adult content is secondary. It isn't primary like A Song of Ice & Fire.
This Japanese animated television series is heavily inspired by Robert E Howard's Conan and Michael Moorcock's Elric. Guts is an anti-hero within the story. He fights against fate and dark forces to save everything that he holds dear. Guts is the eternal champion. Berserk is about fighting and never giving up even until your bones turn into dust. Guts doesn't let trauma get into him. If you…
Read at the sourceoPikWojtik
This review is mainly subjective and contains no major spoilers.
Berserk (1997) is a dark fantasy story with a heavy, grounded tone. It is a cohesive story about ambition, loyalty, trauma, and the price of chasing a dream. It feels like a serious, realistic world where human weakness clashes with ideals, and where choices leave deep scars.
I watched Berserk (1997) in two parts. I first started it around summer 2025, and after roughly 7 episodes it grabbed me so hard that I immediately switched to the manga and read until a major turning point (and a few chapters beyond). I put the anime on pause and only came back to finish it in February 2026, once the events had time to fade more.
I am writing this as a standalone anime review, but I want to be transparent from the start: the manga is…
Read at the sourceJastereich
Kenpuu Denki Berserk is one of those anime that sticks with you long after you finish it. What makes it so memorable isn’t just the violence or the dark fantasy setting; it’s the characters. The story between Guts, Griffith, and the Band of the Hawk is compelling. Their relationships feel complex and human, and watching how things slowly unfold between them is the heart of the entire show. Guts in particular stands out as a protagonist. He’s rough, angry, and clearly damaged, but that’s exactly what makes him interesting to watch.
Another thing the anime does really well is its tone. The whole show has this heavy, grim atmosphere that fits the medieval world it’s set in. It doesn’t shy away from mature themes either. The story deals with ambition, betrayal, trauma, and the darker sides of…
Read at the sourcenomi_ya
One of the best manga of all time with an average, above-average anime adaptation.
It's a somewhat dark anime, with things taking a much darker turn by the near ending, it throws us in a very cruel and unforgiving world, similar to our medieval-dark ages but with hidden elements of fantasy. By hidden, I mean that most people in the Berserk world have no idea that monsters/demons exist, making this an interesting design. The world is torn apart by constant wars, rebellions and other conflicts, be prepared to see a lot of battle and violence.
We get to see Guts, the main protagonist, and his journey to becoming the Black Swordsman, a feared mercenary turned demon-hunter, and his developing relationships with Griffith, the leader of the mercenary band that Guts joins, and Casca, another mem…
Read at the sourcespookee22
I love Berserk 1997. I love the colors, backgrounds, soundtrack-- everything in this show is fine-tuned to create a nostalgic atmosphere, which is the pitch perfect tone for the Golden Age arc. The story holds a perfectly balanced blend of character drama, political intrigue, and bloody bloody swordfights. It's also surprisingly contemplative for a seinen battle horror, which is not entirely unique to this adaptation, but I would say it resonates with a certain feeling that no other version quite hits (including the source manga). The worldbuilding is naturally paced and very much puts you in the position of a traveler in a foreign land blindly stumbling upon the horrors beneath each upturned rock.
In my eyes, this is the definitive Berserk anime. I would recommend it to anyone whose alre…
Read at the sourceNo_Durian_6987
One way to describe Berserk is that it's about two men going opposite ways at the crossroads of morality and ambition; another way is as a gothic fantasy where a group of mercenaries ascends the political ladder only to be abruptly thrown off into a collective downward spiral.
How would I describe it? Well ... I think it's a story about what it means to be loyal - to your friends, to your fellow man, and even to yourself.
From the first episode, we're introduced to a lawless, oppressive world where women are openly abused, monsters are given authority and violence is the ultimate form of power. Neither the show nor its universe pull any punches, and any vulnerability from it's inhabitants or the viewer will readily be taken advantage of. Still, though, what the show does fairly uniquely…
Read at the sourcebaekyijin
Some of my favorite things to watch are stories that take you on more than a 2 hour simple journey and instead lead you on an epic tale. This is great in that aspect. The first episode left me thinking it would be only similar to all other anime I have watched - good, but nothing ecstatic. However, from the second episode forward it only got better and better until an unbelievable climatic ending. I love the medieval aspect rather than the usual sci-fi, or goth (vampire) themes. The three main characters, Guts, Griffith, and Casca - are excellent, and by the time the series nears the end you really know each of these characters individually, meaning you can feel their pain and hopes. All around, this is a superb film, and I can only pray every day that they make a second series since this…
Read at the sourceespejo14
So I came here without reading the manga first, and no, I haven´t watch the sequel, and I don't plan to do so, because (for me) this story is more valuable for its tragedy, and that is how it should remain in my consciousness.
This anime has everything I always wanted to see inside a medieval fantasy world, little did I know when they recommended it to me, but as I watched it, I realized how engaged I was to the series, even though is true that it's not completely faithful to the manga, leaving behind some subplots It didn't negatively affect my experience; on the contrary, it only added a greater veil of mystery to the characters, which intrigued me, and also allowed for greater freedom of interpretation in the end.
Guts was like the samurai version of Conan the barbarian, Griffith re…
Read at the sourcedANGERJet409
In my personal opinion, this is the best anime adaptation of Berserk. Even though the newer ones might have better animation, the feeling and vibe of the manga were perfectly captured by the 1997 version. I will always stand by the fact that this is one of the greatest pieces of fiction of all time. I love everything in this show the characters, villain, OSTs, openings, animation, and plot.
The story is unique and darkly compelling. The art style fits the tone perfectly, even if it’s not modern. The characters are well-rounded, with strengths, flaws, and realistic reactions to events. I think others will love it too, even if they don’t usually watch dark fantasy, because of the strong story, characters, and atmosphere.
Read at the sourceScreenshot007
Berserk (1997) Review – A Brutal Masterpiece in a Broken Frame
Score:
Story: 10
Animation: 7
Sound: 9
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 9/10 ---
“In this world, is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity?”*
Berserk (1997) is not a comfortable watch. It's a relentless dive into war, ambition, and psychological collapse, wrapped in a dark medieval fantasy setting. But for those who can stomach its brutality, it’s one of the most unforgettable anime ever created.
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Story – 10/10
The narrative follows Guts, a mercenary with unmatched skill and a haunted past, and his journey through friendship, betrayal, and inner torment. The plot might sound like a typical rise-and-fall arc, but *Berserk* executes it with such emotional depth and philosophical weight that i…
Read at the source
