Berserk (1997 TV series)
Berserk, also known as Berserk: The Sword-Wind Romance (剣風伝奇ベルセルク, Kenpū Denki Beruseruku), is a Japanese anime television serie based on Kentaro Miura's manga of the same name. It is a 25-episode series produced by Oriental Light and Magic and was broadcast on Nippon TV from 1997 to 1998.[4] The episodes adapt part of the manga's Black Swordsman arc, continuing through the Golden Age storylines.
Berserk | |
Volume 1 DVD cover | |
剣風伝奇ベルセルク (Kenpū Denki Beruseruku) | |
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Genre | |
Anime television series | |
Directed by |
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Produced by |
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Written by | Yasuhiro Imagawa |
Music by | Susumu Hirasawa |
Studio | OLM TEAM IGUCHI |
Licensed by | |
Original network | Nippon TV |
Original run | October 7, 1997 – March 31, 1998 |
Episodes | 25 |
Cast
Character | Japanese voice | English voice |
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Guts | Nobutoshi Canna | Marc Diraison |
Griffith | Toshiyuki Morikawa | Kevin T. Collins |
Casca | Yūko Miyamura | Carrie Keranen |
Rickert | Akiko Yajima | Michelle Newman |
Judeau | Akira Ishida | Christopher Kromer |
Pippin | Masuo Amada | Jeff Ward |
Corkus | Tomohiro Nishimura | Mark Sebastian |
Nosferatu Zodd | Kenji Utsumi | J. David Brimmer |
Void | Unshō Ishizuka | Jon Avner |
Slan | Atsuko Tanaka | C.L. Jones |
Ubik | Chafurin | Christian Collingwood |
Gaston | Toku Nishio | Sean Schemmel |
Release
Berserk first aired from October 7, 1997 to March 31, 1998 on Nippon TV. VAP has released thirteen VHS and twelve VCD including two episodes each (a single one in the last VHS and three in the last VCD) from 1998 to 1999 in Japan. The seven discs "DVD-BOX", using Audio-CD cases, was released in Japan in 2001, with the seven volumes being re-released later in individual DVD regular cases in 2003.
Soundtrack
The Sword-Wind Romance BERSERK Original Soundtrack | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | November 6, 1997 | |||
Label | VAP VPCG-84639 | |||
Producer |
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Susumu Hirasawa soundtrack chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Sword-Wind Romance BERSERK Original Soundtrack | ||||
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At the time of the anime's production, Hirasawa was signed to Nippon Columbia, while VAP is the production committee member that has the home audio/video release rights, which led to disagreements; the opening and ending themes were created by bands signed to VAP. The soundtrack was released by VAP, the obi promotes only the VAP bands, while Nippon Columbia and HIrasawa's personal label TESLAKITE get a courtesy credit in the liner notes. Hirasawa's theme for the series was released as a single five days ahead of the soundtrack by Nippon Columbia/TESLAKITE, with no mention of VAP in the packaging.
All tracks written and performed by Susumu Hirasawa, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "BEHELIT" | 1:55 | |
2. | "Ghosts" | 1:41 | |
3. | "Ball" | 1:08 | |
4. | "Guts" | 3:35 | |
5. | "Murder" |
| 9:29 |
6. | "Fear" | 3:26 | |
7. | "Monster" | 4:03 | |
8. | "EARTH" | 4:23 | |
9. | "BERSERK ~Forces~" (TV Version) | 1:56 | |
10. | "TELL ME WHY" (TV Version) (performed by PENPALS) |
| 1:15 |
11. | "Waiting so long" (TV Version) (performed by Silver Fins) |
| 1:22 |
- "Murder" contains a sample of "Kun Mae #3" by Shun, from the album Kun Mae in a Calculation.
- "Fear" contains a sample of "Two on a Floor" by P-Model, from the album Fu Kyoka Kyoku Shū.
- "Fear" and "Monster" share a motif, which they also share with "ZODDO II", from the album Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Flowers of Oblivion Original Game Soundtrack.
- Hirasawa went on to sample "EARTH" for "LOVE SONG 2003 Type-A2", from the concert DVD Interactive Live Show 2003 LIMBO-54.
Reception
Zac Bertschy of Anime News Network praised the series, giving it a score of A stating, "if you have a single bone in your body that's interested in dark fantasy, do not pass Berserk up. It is the finest example of its genre available on the market today and is based on a manga that nearly surpasses all others in terms of quality and popularity. The TV series was a resounding success and remains enchanting, entertaining and truly terrifying to this day. Watch this show."[1]
References
- Bertschy, Zac (April 6, 2003). "Berserk DVD 5". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- Osmond, Andrew (February 6, 2017). "Berserk Movies and First TV Series Released Monday". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- Yegulalp, Serdar (May 28, 2014). "Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Anime (Top Best List)". About.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2015). The Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation (3rd ed.). Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1611720181. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
External links
- Berserk (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia