Those Who Cling, Those Who Struggle
And so the new season of the new Berserk anime ends. Not with a bang but with a sensation like the entire thing has been put on triple speed halfway through and you didn’t realize you hit the button on the remote and have to scramble to stop it. Things happen so quickly and with little explanation in the last nine minutes of the episode, you’ll find yourself pulling up Wikipedia in a desperate attempt to to figure out what just happened (yes, this is spoken from personal experience). Considering everything else which was explained in detail in this series, its a wonder they decided not to properly explain the game changing ending to the arc. Basically it all happens so fast and causes the plot of the entire series to move forward faster in the last half of this episode than in the majority of the rest of the season.
Other than the rushed nature, this episode also suffers from unnecessary comedy moments and a lot of attention paid to Nina. Seriously, was this character more endearing in the manga? She comes off as one of the most selfish and whiny individuals in recent memory.
There was at least a few good moments. The events at the end, though confusing and a bit rushed, are at least some of the better bits of animation from the season. Also, Guts does get to showcase his skills in dispatching his enemies. Unfortunately, its not against the multitude of demons which were surrounding him before but a whole new threat which appears out of nowhere and just adds to the confusion which is going on with the final scene.
So there you have it, all the new Berserk which will be aired for 2016. Expect a full review of the season soon but don’t get your hopes up of a glowing review. This show proved hope is a fool’s dream.
Berserk is streaming on Crunchyroll.
