# Berserk (2016)

> The Black Swordsman Guts fights demons, outlaws and a fanatical child of god while his life is slowly consumed by a burning thirst for revenge.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58298

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, fantasy, horror
- Network: WOWOW Prime
- Cast: Hiroaki Iwanaga, Toa Yukinari, Kaoru Mizuhara, Yoko Hikasa, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Hiro Shimono, Ayako Takeuchi, Rebecca Davis
- TMDB rating: 6.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5847454/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: extreme
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: bleak, harrowing, visceral, dread-filled, brooding

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series as mixed, appreciating its dark, brutal fantasy spectacle while finding the adaptation uneven and its pacing rushed across two seasons.

## Synopsis

Berserk (2016-2017) is a Japanese seinen dark fantasy anime series produced by LIDENFILMS, Millepensee and GEMBA and broadcast on WOWOW Prime, adapted from the manga and running two seasons across twenty-four episodes. The protagonist is the Black Swordsman Guts, a lone mercenary whose seemingly endless quest for revenge keeps him fighting through a brutal medieval landscape. Standing in his path are heinous outlaws, delusional evil spirits and a devout child of god, each wielding repulsive and inhumane power against a man who has nothing but his body and sword. Each episode is built around a violent clash in which Guts pushes forward while his own life is slowly chipped away. The story unfolds as one continuing arc, with the emotional weight carried by his relationships and the grim cost of every battle. The tone is harrowing, bleak and visceral, with a dread-filled atmosphere and striking hand-drawn 3D animation. Fans of Attack on Titan, Claymore and Hellsing Ultimate will find resonance in its grim dark fantasy world and its demonic horror.

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