In the end, you would have to follow the story in the manga.
Summary:
- The 1997 Berserk anime is worth watching, although it is a bit slow.
- Alternatively, you can watch the same arc as a trilogy of movies or as a “Memorial Edition” — a remastered TV version of them.
- Just follow it in the manga after that and don’t watch the 2016 anime.
Berserk is undoubtedly the most iconic dark fantasy manga out there. It is famous for its dark and twisted — yet captivating — story and for its amazing art. However, it also features a lot of gore and other controversial content. That said, if you want to get into the series, you are probably already aware of that.
Getting into Berserk might be tricky, however — it is often said to be a manga that can’t really be adapted into anime. Yet if you look it up, it would seem that it actually received multiple adaptations — so what’s up with them and how to watch them, anyway?
The 1997 Anime Is Worth Watching
First of all, not all adaptations of Berserk are actually accepted by the fans. That said, most actually agree the original anime from 1997, titled Kenpuu Denki Berserk, is worth watching. As a standalone series, it’s great — it has absolutely amazing art and introduces the viewer to the world of Berserk pretty well.
There are only a few issues with the 1997 anime. First of all, it has quite a slow pace, especially for modern anime fans. This is possible to get used to, though.
The second issue is that the anime tones down some of the darker stuff in the manga — which, apparently, is a problem to some. There’s also no legal way to stream it as of now. That said, it’s still very much worth watching.
The Movie Remake of the First Arc Is Decent
Alternatively, the first arc of Berserk, covered by the 1997 anime, has been remade into a trilogy of movies, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc. They are decent; however, they are regarded as an inferior experience compared to the first anime — they cut some content and don’t look as good as the original.
You can watch them on Netflix or opt for their remastered version, turned into a TV series. It is called Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition and can be found on Crunchyroll.
Just Skip the 2016 Anime
After that, you can read the manga — either from the start or from Chapter 95 (the start of the next arc). Yes, there’s the 2016 Berserk anime, but most fans actually hate it. It is made in a very low-quality 3D CGI with terrible sound effects, but that’s not even its biggest issue.
The worst part of the 2016 adaptation is that it rushes things so much it doesn’t even work as a coherent story. Its second season also stops in the middle of an arc and makes the viewer read the manga anyway — so perhaps you should just do that.