Berserk

[Yvl]

I must say it is rather distressing to me that this topic was not created yet. And that I had not done so myself sooner is even more infuriating.

This anime/manga is by far my favorite one out there. In short, what it's about is an ex-mercenary with a vendetta against a team of demons called "The Godhand." Though really, it's as much "about" that as War and Peace is about the Napoleonic wars or Rashomon is about a rape trial. It is a horror anime, and one hell of one at that. To this day, this show holds the position as the thing in media which has brought me the most terror, and is close to being the most horrifying thing I have ever seen period.

The characters are in all honesty flawless. The main character, Guts, is the most badass character in anime history. Think I'm exaggerating? This is a guy who has an eye gouged out, but rather than getting an eyepatch, he keeps his eye shut. If you can find someone tougher than him, by all means, tell me. Meanwhile, Judeau is the most charismatic character I've encountered and is one of the few figures in history whom I call my "hero." And Griffith, whom the story revolves around, is such an ambiguously complex character - his thoughts and emotions are so turbulant, despite how infrequently he shows it, but really his personality can still be summed up with one word - "ambitious." There are plenty of others, but you can find them for yourself if you have not done so already.

This show has kept me up at night not only with its horror, but with its depth. Every time I watch the anime again, I pick up something else that I missed before.

Anyway, what brought on me bringing this topic up finally is that volume 21 of the manga is now out in America, which brings an end to the Conviction Arc. I just finished reading it and I almost passed out from all the awesome. While Guts is indeed seeming to be unkillable, I don't mind, surprisingly. It was indeed a somewhat undramatic conclusion to his battle with the Holy See, but what got me was what happened afterwards. I'm always a fan of Guts fighting impossible odds while on horseback, and this time was no exception.

But even after his battle with the Kushan, what REALLY got to me was the arrival of Griffith in his human form, and the Skull Knight's foreboding prophecy - I hadn't felt that filled with awe since the destruction of the world in FFVI.

Whew.