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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Sunday, 14 October 2007 17:00 |
 MVM's latest series is a trip into the archives in its own right, as it's been around in the US for quite some time already: Berserk, the story of a man with a very large sword and an equally large thirst for blood. Although he didn't quite start out that way...
1 - The Black Swordsman
The kingdom of Midland hasn't been a particularly happy place since former bandit Griffith seized the throne - Griffith's men roam the country, ignoring the law and generally making life hell for the citizens, who are too afraid of the consequences to fight back. One man is prepared to make a stand, though - one of Griffith's former associates, Guts (also known as The Black Swordsman), has reason to be seeking vengeance against his former leader, and has come to claim it. On hearing of Guts' arrival, Griffith decides to throw a little welcome party for him...
2 - The Band Of The Hawk
Even when Guts was young, facing him in battle was no easy task. Years previously, Guts first made a name for himself by defeating the Grey Knight, Bazuso - a bandit famous for killing 30 people with one swing of his sword - when others were too scared to even approach him. At the time, Guts was a mercenary - so when a chance meeting with the late Bazuso's comrades in the Band of the Hawk, led by Griffith, offers him the chance for further fame and fortune, he takes it. But not all of his new comrades are happy with his arrival...
3 - First Battle
Caska's confused by Griffith's reaction to Guts - she's never seen him acting so accepting or kind to anyone before, especially when that person was on the end of his sword. Guts probably wouldn't share her assessment, though - to him, Griffith slipped clean through his defences, injuring him with very little effort and clearly letting him know that he could kill him just as easily. While he lies in his tent recovering from his injuries, some other members of the Band of the Hawk begin planning him demise - until Caska warns them off. Later, the band launch an assault on a nearby army encampment, giving Guts his first chance to prove himself...
4 - The Hand Of God
Having thrown his lot in with Griffith's band, Guts decide its time he learnt a bit more about his new leader - and quickly finds out that there's very little real information known about the man, other than that he's very charismatic. A brief conversation with Griffith himself gives him an idea, though - he's a man who honestly believes the world owes him something, that he's one day going to be the king of his own lands - and that he's going to choose when and where Guts dies in his service. You certainly can't fault him for confidence...
5 - A Wind Of Swords
Three years afer joining the band, Captain Guts continues to meets with success in his missions, but he doesn't always do it by following orders - something that annoys Caska no end, and prompts her to have a word with him. Not for the first time, either - and while each time Guts promises to be more considerate about other members of the band, she knows rightly that come the next battle he'll be off doing his own thing again. Meanwhile, when the band is inducted into the regular army of Midland, another step in Griffith's rise to power is complete...
Berserk is another series that indulges in some timeline shenanigans - episode 1 represents the end of its story arc, and then the timeline skips back at the beginning of episode 2 to begin the story and show you how the first episode's confrontation was set up. It has the advantage of letting you know from the start who the bad guy is (you wouldn't credit Griffith with it from his appearance in episodes 2+), but it's also a bit spoilerific, if you know what I mean - you're left spending a lot of time trying to tie past events into what happens in episode 1, and trying to predict how the story is going to play out. Me, I'd be happier just watching from episode 2 and watching things unfold. Berserk isn't the only series to do things this way - Divergence Eve does much the same thing - but it's something that's tricky to pull off and should be used sparingly. I don't know that it's overly successful here.
With the initial episode out of the way, events revert more to form. Being new to the Band, Guts meets the usual problems - lack of acceptance, having to prove himself and so on - and they're made worse by Griffith appearing to show him some favouritism right from the start. I admit, I got a little confused as to whose side the Band of the Hawk were on at points (apart from "their own", of course), but on a basic level the remaining four episodes played out as simple prove-yourself-in-battle stories, giving Guts the chance to rise up the ranks, and for lots of blood to be spilled in the name of entertainment.
By the end of the disc, Guts is a captain, Caska's showing more than a professional interest in him, and the first open signs of Griffith's ambition getting the better of him are beginning to show. It doesn't make for the most exciting 2 hours, to be honest - I've heard a lot of good things about Berserk over the years, but not many of them are apparent here - but there is some entertainment to be had out of it. Hopefully the interest level will pick up for the next volume.
Promo clips for this release: Clip 1 | Clip 2 | Clip 3 | Clip 4
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