Stuff that reminds you of BERSERK

[Ckrisz]

The two great strengths of BERSERK for me are: 1) Just great, great characters. Guts, Caska, Griffith headline of course, but you also have Judeau, Puck, Pippin, Corkus, Zodd, Skull Knight, the mysterious God Hand (as much as Miura owes Clive Barker a check for them) ... 2) the brutal reality of its material, demons notwithstanding ... the main characters seem so real, the harshness and cruelty of the world reflect that of the Middle Ages.

My question would be for all: what media out there (film, TV, books, manga/comics, computer games) reminds you of BERSERK? Can anything match up to it?

For films, stuff that comes to mind are BRAVEHEART for its tremendous battle scenes (though not for much else); GLADIATOR for its superb hero & villain, and the brutality of its fight scenes; a Hong Kong film called BULLET IN THE HEAD for its pure intensity; another HK film called FULL CONTACT for the grittiness and savagery of the fight sequences, and also sexual tension between hero and villain; another HK wuxia film called THE BLADE, for the pure darkness of its world and the wild emotional desperation of its battles. Of all these, THE BLADE is my favorite ... definitely one to check out for any BERSERK fan. It's available on VHS and VCD in any Chinatown, and also from www.taiseng.com.

Books: the classic Chinese novel OUTLAWS OF THE MARSH (SHUI HU ZHAN) or WATER MARGIN, for its dark and unforgiving view of the world and the violence of its heroes. The books that made think up this thread, however, are the SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series by George R.R. Martin: A GAME OF THRONES, A CLASH OF KINGS, and A STORM OF SWORDS. Because they're a series, they can hope to give as much time to their characters and storyline as BERSERK can. They're set in a fantasy medieval world and just like BERSERK, they have hulking brutes who swing outsized swords, incest of all kinds, brutal torture, major characters getting vital body parts sliced off and/or killed, betrayal by the boatload, moral ambiguities all over the place, underage sex ... most importantly, they also have both the great characterizations and tough, unbending realness that makes BERSERK special. These are available at any bookstore around or @ amazon.com.

Anyone else read these, or have any suggestions?

 

[ranemaka13]

Willow reminds me of Berserk for some odd reason... :-/

 

[Chinmi]

U got good taste Chrisk!. All the titles u mention are the same thing I would think. I really like Tsui Hark's The Blade too. As far as the books, I never heard of them before.

I would like to add that Fist of the North Star is what remind me of Berserk. Hell, even Muira likes Fist of the North Star.

 

[Negative_Earth]

just looks-wise, Siegfried from Soul Calibur seems to be very-gattsish. well, he's got blonde hair and both his arms and eyes.. but still.


as for plot-wise, not much comes near it.

 

[Ckrisz]

Thanks, Chinmi ... I didn't think ANYONE would recognize THE BLADE! What a film ...

But I would really recommend the SONG OF ICE AND FIRE books. I think pretty much anyone who likes BERSERK will like them ... they're excellent.

One more book recommendation: a history book by Barbara Tuchman called A DISTANT MIRROR. it's about France during the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death, but ranges all over Europe. Reading it, one realizes that Miura took a LOT of inspiration from the Hundred Years' War time period. The savagery of the nobles and their warfare, the prominence of the mercenary companies, the orgy-having cults, the corrupt and brutal Church ... it's all here and so well written that one can't stop turning the page. It's as good as any fiction story.

The parallels with Midland and Chuda's 100 year war is obvious, with Midland playing France and the aggressor Chuda as England. The plague attacking Midland stands in for the Black Death. One can even recognize Doldrey Castle as a stand-in for Calais, the port from which England invaded France for the aforementioned 100 years. The Ottoman Turks, who appear at the book's end at the Battle of Nicaea, likely provided inspiration for the Kushan invaders.

Most notably, there's also an intriguing figure, a mercenary captain named John Hawkwood, briefly detailed in the book. Hawkwood was the premier mercenary of his day, selling his services all over Europe, especially in pre-Renaissance Italy. He called his mercenary band the White Company, who fought in burnished white armor. With such a nice Griffith-ish name, it's no surprise to learn that he participated in many of the most ruthless and brutal massacres of his day (and reading the book, you find out that there were MANY ... in fact you might even call massacring civilians the chief occupation of warfare back then). He was so successful that he eventually was made Captain-General of the powerful city-state of Florence and there is still has a statue of him there to this day. He also inspired the old saying that "an Italianized Englishman is the Devil Incarnate."

Hawkwood ... White Company ... successful Dark Age mercenary ... I have to think that Miura at least pulled a ghost of an idea from this guy.

 

[Fishbomb]

*grins* can't argue with the choice of HK movies there... yummy.

But I'm surprised nobodys' mentioned the greatest 'berserk' movie of them all:

Flesh and Blood

Directed by Paul Verhoeven, with Rutger Hauer in the lead part it is a medevial tale about a group of mercenaries that could have sprung right from Miura's gritty pen.

Sieges. Plague. Rape. Nudity. A great dynamic between the 'hero' and the 'villan', wonderful characters, scenery, blood, realism... and above all, just that throughly gritty berserk atmosphere.

But... Be sure to see the uncut version if you can!!! Otherwise it's just tame and boring bullshit....

 

[Ckrisz]

A substitute history teacher actually showed parts of FLESH AND BLOOD to us when I was in like 7th grade to illustrate the grittiness of medieval life ... that didn't go over too well in our classroom, you could say we weren't too interested in medieval history back then. We only perked up (well, the boys at least) when the tape accidentally showed us some female nudity :) ...

How could I forget? Greek mythology and especially THE ODYSSEY is a spectacular BERSERK-like work. Just the pure savagery and brutality of the times, and a hero who epitomizes all the good and bad things that come with those times, reminds me of BERSERK. Also, it's one of the great classics of world literature, and still damn readable today.

 

[Chinmi]

Just like Guts, the main character in The Blade get his arm chop off. He also seek revenge.

I would like to add also that Artesia by Mark Smylie is sort of like Berserk in terms of setting with greatt attention to details.  Not alot of american comics have medival comics.  Its usually have some sort of  half naked chick that have no plot what so ever.

For some reason, American Psycho come to mind for the savage sex.

 

[cthm]

The 13th Warrior reminds me of Berserk, it was not that great of a movie but I still liked it a lot for some reason :)

 

[Konketsuji]

Most notably, there's also an intriguing figure, a mercenary captain named John Hawkwood, briefly detailed in the book. Hawkwood was the premier mercenary of his day, selling his services all over Europe, especially in pre-Renaissance Italy. He called his mercenary band the White Company, who fought in burnished white armor. With such a nice Griffith-ish name, it's no surprise to learn that he participated in many of the most ruthless and brutal massacres of his day (and reading the book, you find out that there were MANY ... in fact you might even call massacring civilians the chief occupation of warfare back then). He was so successful that he eventually was made Captain-General of the powerful city-state of Florence and there is still has a statue of him there to this day. He also inspired the old saying that "an Italianized Englishman is the Devil Incarnate."

Hawkwood ... White Company ... successful Dark Age mercenary ... I have to think that Miura at least pulled a ghost of an idea from this guy.

Yep, that is amazing, I'm not surprised that someone here pointed that out already, but I have something to add. White Company or Compagnia Bianca del Falco! I just stumbled upon this and was pretty amazed.

 

[Gobolatula]

There are long, thick metal rods at the place I work. Every now and then I try to lift one up to see how easy I can maneuver it around. Work sometimes reminds me of Guts.

 

[TelegramSam]

I have always wanted to mention this, but not start a thread, and it fits this one nicely. Have you ever noticed that in addition to Hellraiser, the GH and Eclipse scenery are somewhat reminiscent of Twin Peaks? Especially the overall visual theme of their individual realms (post-Ganishka) and the way that they influence human events reminds me of the Red Room in the final episode. I also think the idea of a relatively realistic world that slowly is introduced to supernatural elements that are lying below the surface (or on a different plane) are similar. I have no idea if Miura is a David Lynch fan, but Twin Peaks was huge in Japan in the 90's.

 

[Aazealh]

I also think the idea of a relatively realistic world that slowly is introduced to supernatural elements that are lying below the surface (or on a different plane) are similar.

That's not something Twin Peaks pioneered though, far from it. And I'm not sure Berserk can be classified like that either. The supernatural has always been there in the series.

 

[uhu]

I didn't want to create a new topic just for this, so I will take advantage from this topic title

I found out about this sculpture today while watching TV:

It's called Monumento al Ahogado (monument to the drowned) and it is at Punta del Este, Uruguay. You can't see it on that photo, but it's huge. Quite obvious what it reminds me of, right? :] I really liked it. Has anyone personally seen this sculpture?

 

[Rhombaad]

I've never seen that before. Pretty cool.

 

[Rendarg]

Stuff that reminds me of Berserk? Well, i bet it was already mentioned here somewhere on sk.net over the years, but i find much of it is similar to warhammer fantasy.
I even used that to describe Berserk to one of my friends "think of it as... well, as Warhammer Fantasy - The Manga Edition"
Well ok, it doesn't work for everything from Warhammer, but for lots of it's elements.
There is of course the dark age medieval europe setting and all, but ok, you have stuff like that in many other works too. But i have to say, i lol'd pretty hard when i first read about the Abyss or when you could even see it in the background in volume 2 or 3 i think, i was like "Wtf, the "Warp"? They have the "Warp" from Warhammer in this manga? Awesome!"
Or the idea of evil, which pretty much reminds me of the chaos gods, since they are also manifestations of the thoughts and ideas of all sentient beings. And of course Slan, i even sometimes call her Slanesh, the chaos god of pain, lust and pleasure.

edit: woah, ok there was one search result for warhammer and that was my post. This board is 12-13 years old, and i'm the only warhammer fan here? Can't be

 

[Walter]

There is of course the dark age medieval europe setting and all, but ok, you have stuff like that in many other works too. But i have to say, i lol'd pretty hard when i first read about the Abyss or when you could even see it in the background in volume 2 or 3 i think, i was like "Wtf, the "Warp"? They have the "Warp" from Warhammer in this manga? Awesome!"

I don't know anything about Warhammer other than that nerds play it in back rooms at board game stores, but I did a quick Google search and indeed found a few similarities with "The Immaterium" and The Vortex of Souls. Not necessarily the Abyss though...

Sounds like you're confusing the Abyss, which is a region of the Berserk universe, and the Vortex of Souls, a conglomeration of departed souls that resides in the Abyss.

edit: woah, ok there was one search result for warhammer and that was my post. This board is 12-13 years old, and i'm the only warhammer fan here? Can't be

Nah, search has been wonky since the upgrade to 2.0. There are certainly more posts.

 

[Rendarg]

But isn't the vortex of souls part of the Abyss? I mean that giant whirlwind where the Count was sucked into. Well, still works for me, the Warp/Immaterium/Sea of Souls/...(i could go on forever, this thing has many names in Warhammer) has different regions too.

I don't know anything about Warhammer other than that nerds play it in back rooms at board game stores

Hehe yeah, sounds like me in first year highschool. But its so much more than just a tabletop game. Surprises me that you don't know about it. I actually consider it the best work of dark fantasy, besides Berserk of course. Well, its been around since the early 80's, and a whole crew of authors are writing the background and books for it, so its not very surprising that there is much more content about it. The whole thing rivals Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Hundreds of Characters, thousands of years of history, at the end of the 80's they even split the whole thing into two different franchises, a fantasy and a science fiction world, which have their own history (which is why i was referring to warhammer-fantasy in my earlier post).

When i was reading the first volumes of Berserk i was sitting there and thinking "Hmm, somehow this feels like... well, this whole thing with the snake baron could almost be a short story from Warhammer... god dammit, this IS a short story from Warhammer! .... Hmmm no it's something unique, but still, i wouldn't be surprised if some Chaos Knights would suddenly show up on their horses and burn down a village" *I turn to the next page, the Snake Baron rides into the village and burns everything to the ground* "God dammit!!!"

Oh, and thinking about it, hehe, Champions of Chaos can be granted a final gift from their dark gods, if they serve them good. Demonhood. Yes, they become Apostle.
And Midland and the Empire also share the same regions in the world, yep warhammer fantasy also has a map of the real world with some differences here and there.

 

[Walter]

But isn't the vortex of souls part of the Abyss? ... the Warp/Immaterium/Sea of Souls/...(i could go on forever, this thing has many names in Warhammer) has different regions too.

That's my point, the Vortex of Souls is only a part of the Abyss. You could almost say it's an inhabitant of it.

Hehe yeah, sounds like me in first year highschool. But its so much more than just a tabletop game. Surprises me that you don't know about it.

I know about it of course, I just don't have much interest in it. From what I know of it, and what you've described, it sounds extremely convoluted—no offense.

Oh, and thinking about it, hehe, Champions of Chaos can be granted a final gift from their dark gods, if they serve them good. Demonhood. Yes, they become Apostle.
And Midland and the Empire also share the same regions in the world, yep warhammer fantasy also has a map of the real world with some differences here and there.

Sure but... as vast as the Warhammer universe is, a few coincidences are inevitable. That being said, you'll have to explain to me the similarities between a Chaos Knight and the Snake Baron.

 

[Rendarg]

That being said, you'll have to explain to me the similarities between a Chaos Knight and the Snake Baron.

Works for me.

Basically, Chaos Knights are Body Builders in very heavy, evil looking armor. And worshippers of dark gods.
Heres another one:

Actually even the whole elite troops of the new band of the hawk remind me of a warhammer chaos army

I know about it of course, I just don't have much interest in it. From what I know of it, and what you've described, it sounds extremely convoluted—no offense.

Yeah it's very... complicated. Almost too much content actually. I guess that happens, when too many people are working on the same project for years, decades even. It's not very beginner friendly to get into it, i wouldn't even know where to start explaining it

Oh, and here is Zodd

Oh wait, it's a greater Daemon of Khorn

 

[Aazealh]

I for one know about Warhammer, whose universe is indeed very rich, and those similarities you're finding are extremely superficial. Monstrous creatures look somewhat similar to other monstrous creatures, who would have thought? But the concepts behind them are quite different.

 

[Metal_Bear_Rex]

All of the Dragon's Dogma expansion Dark Arisen gives me a Berserk vibe.

Not to mention, the end boss of Dark Arisen especially. He looks just like Zodd.

In fact, it can't be a coincidence. Daimon HAS to be a nod to Zodd. (Hah. That rhymed.)

 

[Rendarg]

Uhm hello? Did i say there was content or ideas stolen from anyone or something like that? What's the title of this thread again? Stuff that reminds you of Berserk.

That's what i'm doing. And maybe i am reminded of berserk by stuff from warhammer and you don't, it's a personal taste thing, i just like both.
I mean, Gobolatula said that even metal rods at work remind him of Berserk. But huge winged daemons with horns in a medieval setting with dark gods that linger in some Abyss-like place shouldn't remind me of it? Fine alright, won't mention it again

Hm, well, on second thought i do sound a bit like a angry 12-year old right now. Could also be my inability to formulate it in a more friendly way right now, it's been some years since i last talked in english.
What i wanted to say is, for a warhammer nerd, and thats what i am since as long as you guys have this website (wow, and i just realized, i bought my first unit of chaos knights around the time this thread was created... i sometimes tell myself "man, i'm getting old" but no, you guys are old ), the first time reading berserk is just a bit like "Oh, this is like that... well, in some way. And this is like that... almost, well a bit, if you look at it from a different angle and..." and so on and so on. Which isn't surprising since it's both dark fantasy. You simply see similarities, where there aren't any. Well ok, there are, but not as strong as you think in the first moment. Ah, it's hard to explain. But it immidiatly made me love Berserk, so i guess it's a good thing

And yes that damn well reminds me of Berserk

And for some reason Skyrim also reminds me of Berserk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFkgWokks4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TovkWh6C48Q

I actually had goosebumps when i played this mod. Which reminds me, i wanted to reinstall Skyrim anyway, because the full mod is now released with hand cannon and everything

 

[puppet12ca]

well I'm playing though the Witcher 2 again right now so plenty from that game reminds me of berserk namely I suppose the monster slaying and one segment in the game a curse that involves infinitely re-spawning dead spirits

also off the top of my head I recall at the end of a movie called "Idle Hands" I remember a metal bong that was shaped a fair bit like the Brand of sacrifice

 

[Deci]

I'm confident it was not intentional but it reminds me of Berserk anyway!

Never played it but it's from a MGS game.