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Utopia Talk / Movie Talk / Berserk: Golden Age
Forwyn
Member
Tue Sep 10 19:27:24
Man, this shit was good. I grew out of anime a long time ago(aside from an occasional nostalgic DBZ stint, I finished Fullmetal Alchemist a decade ago and haven't looked back), but this is worth picking up.

Its a 3 part film series designed to introduce the Berserk saga. Its the first in the story chronologically, so you won't be behind. It sets up the storylines of Guts, Casca, and Griffith, three mercenaries in a medieval setting. The overall storyline of Berserk is a tale of revenge, and this ultra-violent arc sets up the background impetus.

The first film, Egg of the King, is easily the strongest. The only real weak point is the use of some 3D CGI during a few scenes(though I enjoyed its use in a certain dungeon fight scene). The action is excellent, but much of the film is aimed at character development. More of the movie is about setting the stage for 2 and 3 than advancing plot points.

The second, Battle For Doldrey was weak per se, but it had more that irked me. The portrayal of a powerful female protagonist being completely incapacitated by a natural, monthly biological occurrance was a pretty weak point, though it was made up for partly by a strong showing from her later on. The second hangup was relatively minor, that being the naming of certain elite squads of soldiers(you saw a little bit in the first, but nothing to this extent). In an otherwise serious film, "Purple Holy Rhino Knights" makes me grimace in embarassment for the writers. I hope it was an intentional move to make fun of self-important nobles, I really do. The CGI is in use here again, but its nothing that takes away from the excellent action. Lastly, the story really picks up. You start to see a culmination of the story, though the story-180 of the third film is better foreshadowed by Egg of the King.

The third film, Advent(Descent? Not sure. Silly translators), is shock and awe. It takes the medieval setting and flips it on its head for fantasy horror(a certain dungeon fight scene being the only hints we saw prior to this). The only real weakness I saw was that certain side characters weren't fleshed out, so their outcomes aren't as gripping - that falls on the first and second movies. The translations were a little weak, but I'm watching a pirated version until it comes out on DVD, so I'll withhold judgement for now. My main criticisms involve the ending and one character. The ending just didn't feel full. It just sort of dropped off. Its my understanding that the adaptations will continue after this trilogy. If thats the case, no worries. But if this is a standalone, you'll have to go to the source material(which is still ongoing) for any real resolution. The second point that irks me is a central character(the Skull Knight). This can be again be remedied by further adaptation, but there's a difference between enigmatic and "Who the fuck is this?" when you're dealing with a character who has such a huge impact on the story. Overall a strong film, though. The 180 is so jarring you'll probably be saying WTF, and this is intentional. In the original story lines, Golden Age is presented as a flashback, and you're introduced to some of the modern day story before being thrust into this arc.

Not a perfect adaptation, but very strong. If you've got a stomach for excessive blood and a little bit of other sadomasochistic cringe-worthy stuff, this is a dark fantasy tale thats definitely worth your time.
McKobb
Member
Tue Sep 10 19:56:43
I watched the anime of the seventies mainly.
Forwyn
Member
Tue Sep 10 19:59:02
Believe it or not, I got attached to it because TC posted a youtube link to the first movie in UP a while back. I've anxiously awaited the English releases of 2&3 since then.
The Children
Member
Wed Sep 11 16:16:13
thats right, tc is good like that. im still waiting to watch this on youtube for free.
Billah
Member
Fri Sep 13 07:17:13
I didn't read any of that but I have been teading all these Icelandic Sagas and they occasionally mention Viking Berserks and Id like to know more about them.
The Children
Member
Tue Apr 15 09:39:22
aye, look at what i dug up. by popular request.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbySd_FoYFo

part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3rrmt-Y3hQ

not 2 happy with screensize 4 part3, but i just watch on full screen mode.
Cthulhu
Tentacle Rapist
Thu May 26 22:10:27
'The portrayal of a powerful female protagonist being completely incapacitated by a natural, monthly biological occurrance was a pretty weak point, though it was made up for partly by a strong showing from her later on. '

Some women really are incapacitated. There is at least one disorder that both makes them sterile and gives them excruciating pain during that time of the month
The Children
Member
Sun Feb 12 06:40:48
niggas! it has happened.

berserk has received a sequel based on the manga comics. berserk 2016 is live now.

The Children
Member
Sun Feb 12 06:44:23
niggas! it has happened.

berserk has received a sequel based on the manga comics. berserk 2016 is live now.

The Children
Member
Sun Feb 12 06:46:14
so the 3 movies based on berserk cartoons (2 seasons?).

the cartoons stopped but the manga did not.

but now the cartoons picked up again. this is a real sequel not a remake.
the story picks up after the events of final movie.

2 years has passed, guts now accompanied by a faery.
i think they skipped some story but it picks up again with the crazy religious peoplez.

The Children
Member
Sun Feb 12 06:47:18
im at epsiode 5 right now. likin it so far.

like in the final movie, there are fantasy elements now. like faeries, weird lookin demons and shit.
The Children
Member
Sun Feb 12 08:39:31
dayum this shit is brutal.

The Children
Member
Sun Feb 12 10:56:37
shits good so i finished whole season lol.

stuffs crazy. definitely not for kids and shit. i mean they cencor alot of shit but some of the stuff just crazy with crazy orgy and then they ate human soup wtf. so then ur like that chick is batshit crazy but somehow the story though at the end wtf.

im lookin forwar 2 next season though. thats when the chicklet with the magic appears i think. gonna be a bit more lord of the rings instead of weird lookin demons i think.



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