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| The Story |
|
So ends the anime series, with the epilogue showing Guts leaving Godo's house to seek revenge against God Hand and their minions, as we see him do in the first episode of the TV series. |
BERSERK
is a gothic tale set in the Middle Ages which chronicles the life and
trials of Guts, a very strong and highly skilled swordsman, as he
fights against elements so that he can determine his own destiny. This
theme of taking your own destiny in your hands and not letting fate do
it for you is one that is constantly appearing throughout the series.
At the same time, the question of how far a person would go and how
much he would sacrifice to achieve his goals is also explored and for
this series, to its terrifying end. Unlike many TV series in recent
memory, as well as the ones currently on air, Berserk tells the story
in one tight continuous arc, with the events in one episode smoothly
flowing into the next. It doesn't have the "episodic" feel where one
episode can be considered a "stand-alone". In addition, this show has
by far the most realistic rendition of life during the medieval era.
The
anime series opens with Guts arriving at a town outside a castle in
Midland. However, he did not arrive in this town by accident. He has
been on a solitary journey to destroy those who associate themselves
with God Hand, the ones that destroyed everything that he ever cared
about. Armed with a massive sword, the Dragonslayer, he pursues them
relentlessly with superhuman will and stamina. Whether this is caused
by the Seal branded on his neck is not known but it certainly renders
him almost indestructible before his enemies. Make no mistake, however,
in thinking that he has become immortal. He is still a mortal. He just
happens to be able to take more punishment than any other person in the
story.
After
his battle with the Snake Baron, the series switches to a flashback
mode to explain how he became what he is now. Here, we see Guts as a
very young mercenary going up against a rather large knight defending a
fort that they have put under siege. After the siege, Guts is on his
way to another site that might require his services when he is harassed
by mounted soldiers. These soldiers turn out to be members of the
Hawks, a mercenary band led by Griffith. He saw Guts's fight earlier
and decides that he would make a fine addition to his army, if he can
convince him to join. Needless to say, Guts refuses the offer but
Griffith gets him in a situation where the winner of their wager gets
his wish. Griffith eventually prevails over him, hence making him the
latest member of the Hawks. Shortly thereafter, Guts is given command
of the Raiders, the heavy cavalry branch of Griffith's army.
The
Hawks soon enters service with Midland, which is embroiled in
a hundred-year long war with the Chudan Empire. They immediately
prove their mettle when they defeated the seemingly invincible
Black Ram Heavy Lancer Knights. This catches the attention of
the king of Midland and has since led to Griffith's involvement
to crucial battles, giving him and the Hawks numerous honors.
However, the field commanders, many of whom belong to the aristocratic
class, have grown resentful of his meteoric rise within the Midland
army and thus regard him as nothing but an upstart mercenary
commoner. And to one commander, Yurius, his disdain for Griffith
has come the the point that he feels that is necessary to have
him eliminated. But the assassination fails and at this stage
of the story, Griffith's ruthlessness is revealed and proceeds
to remove those who stand in his way of achieving his dream of
getting his own kingdom.
All
the while, with the battles and political intrigues raging around him,
Guts has been struggling to find a purpose in his life. He has been
living his life according to what the other people tell him. Realizing
that he too can have a dream and the freedom to pursue it and probably
partly alarmed by what Griffith has started to become in his pursuit of
his dream, he decides to leave the Hawks. Understandably, Griffith
refuses to let him leave without a fight. To everyone's surprise, Guts
wins over Griffith very easily and thus, earns the right to leave and
find his purpose in life. This event has shaken Griffith so profoundly
to the core that it precipitates his downward spiral which leads to his
fall from grace and eventual imprisonment. The Hawks, now a disgraced
unit, is forced to flee for its own survival.
More
than a year has passed since leaving the Hawks, Guts now knows for whom
he wields his sword. However, he hears news that the Hawks have been
cornered and about to be routed by the Midland army. He arrives in the
nick of time to save them from being destroyed. There, he learns of the
fate that has befallen Griffith and the Hawks. He also learns of a plan
to rescue Griffith from prison and in the dead of night, he joins a
small team lead by Casca that will carry out the plan. With the help of
Princess Charlotte's personal attendants, they make their way through
the secret undeground passageways and into the prison tower. Upon
seeing Griffith's state, Guts breaks down and blames himself for what
happened to him.
Having
gotten to Griffith, they now fight their way out of the prison tower
and the pursuit begins. Eventually, the castle knights catch up with
the Hawks and a skirmish ensues. While they manage to defeat the
pursuing knights, they realize that Griffith may no longer be capable
of leading them back to respectability and are forced to think about
their future as a fighting force. Meanwhile, haunted by his visions of
his earlier ambitions, Griffith takes control of a wagon and takes off,
sending the other Hawks scampering to get him back. A short time later,
his wagon tumbles out of control and Griffith is thrown out into a
shallow lake. Seeing his broken right arm, he starts laughing like a
mad man. Realizing the futility of making his dream come true, he tries
to commit suicide but only managed to wound his neck. Griffith looks
down and sees his lost pendant, the Behelit, wrapped around his left
hand. Not far behind, Guts and the rest of the Hawks finally catch up
with him while the morning sky is beginning to darken due to an eclipse.
Guts
is the first one to reach Griffith and he too notices the Behelit, this
time soaking in Griffith's blood but fails to see its transformation
into something that looks like a human face. Suddenly, they become
enveloped and trapped in a nightmarish environment swarming with
hellish monsters, as one by one mysterious beings begin to appear
before them. They are collectively known as God Hand, beings regarded
as "angels" and "demon kings" at the same time by those who inhabit the
world of the dead and they can manipulate man's destiny on earth. It is
here where God Hand tells the Hawks that Griffith is destined to become
one of them and in order for that to come to pass, the Hawks are to be
slaughtered as sacrificial offerings.
The
Hawks try to put up a fight but in vain. Their deaths too have been
pre-ordained. Guts tries to help Casca as a swarm of monsters comes
down upon her but another monster grabs his left arm, preventing him
from getting to her. Then, they hear a sound that signals the birth of
the new demon king. Griffith has now completely transformed into the
newest member of God Hand, Femto the Wings of Darkness. He then flies
down to where Casca is. Desperate to free himself from the monster's
grip, Guts cuts off his left arm with his broken sword and runs towards
her. But almost immediately, the other monsters pin him down to the
ground while forcing him to watch Femto rape Casca. Soon, one of the
monsters' claws holding his head punctures his right eye. As blood
begins to fill his vision, everything fades to black.