Berserk is a dark fantasy anime that is based on a manga by Kentaro Miura. The anime was produced by OLM, and was directed by Naohito Takahashi. Berserk consists of twenty-five episodes, which aired on Nippon Television between October 7, 1997 and March 31, 1998. The anime is based on the first thirteen volumes of the manga, and is noted for its heavy use of blood and violence.

The protagonist of Berserk is a mercenary warrior named Guts. He’s tall and muscular, and carries a huge sword around with him called “the Dragon Slayer.” With his ability to use the Dragon Slayer, as well as for being known for wearing black, Guts has acquired the nickname “The Black Swordsman.” Guts also has a prosthetic left forearm that has a magnetic grip. His prosthetic forearm also conceals a cannon and a repeater crossbow.

Griffith is the antagonist of the Berserk anime. He is the founder and leader of a mercenary band called the Band of the Hawk. Griffith is quite charismatic, and is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes (even if it means he has to sacrifice everything) for the dream of having his own kingdom.

In the first episode of Berserk, a girl is attacked in a bar. Guts walks in and kills all the assailants except one. Guts gives this man a message: tell his “master” that the Black Swordsman is coming. Later, Guts attacks the “master” and kills him. After the “master” is dead, Guts removes a Behelit from around his neck. After this point, the rest of the episodes of Berserk are flashbacks to events that happen to Guts that take place prior to the first episode.

The setting for Berserk is inspired by medieval Europe. However, the background music used for Berserk doesn’t evoke the sense of medieval Europe. In fact, during the scene where Guts battles the “master,” you can distinctly hear bed music that relies very heavily on electronics. Even though the background music may not have evoked medieval Europe, it still worked and provided an interesting backdrop to the story being told.

Berserk is definitely not an anime being aimed at younger viewers. With all the violence and blood included, I think the series is primarily aimed at older teen and adult viewers. Personally, I think kids younger than fifteen or sixteen years old really aren’t ready for the visual content that’s included in Berserk.