2016 Berserk TV series: Episode 4

[Hanma_Baki]

Wow! I gotta say, whatta step up, I'm A LOT less disgusted and heartbroken by this episode than the previous 3. The chicken apostle flashback aside, I don't think I even experienced any too painful cringe moments. Yeah, as someone said, this would've been a decent first episode, I'd actually call it pretty smooth compared to what we did get instead. You know what, from now on I will just pretend as if this actually was the first episode simply because nothing could really redeem this series with those first 3 episodes in mind. Other than that I think a lot of Cyrus Jong's post sums up my thoughts about this episode pretty good. And yeah I'd prefer there to be as little flashbacks as possible as well, just keep the "now" flowing as the pacing already is such a mess as it is.

[Oburi]

Do I get a prize for being the earliest to quit on the series, barring any tru fanz that never watched and never will? I honestly only got like 5 minutes in before tapping out.

I should get a prize for being that true fan, but I think the complete ignorance of the show is a reward by itself.    I was never planning on watching from the beginning, but after reading all these threads I'm even more relieved that I never got even the slightest touch of hopeful expectations with this Frankenstein train wreck of a production.  I've completely given up on any type of adaptation of Berserk in any form a long time ago. Pretty much since the 97 anime. Once I discovered the manga it was obvious there was no way (and no need) for any other alternative form of media to try to adapt Berserk and have it be half as cool. Unless it's something uniquely separated like the Dreamcast game, all this shit just gets in the way. I mean, WE HAVE THE MANGA! It's amazing how many people really care about it being animated. Those IGN reviews made me sick. Listening to some of these Youtube reviews, even without having seen the show, just listening to them talk about why Berserk is great feels like a personal insult.  Berserk is unadaptable. People should accept that. And don't start with the "But Watchmen was unadaptable and look what Zack "the Next Kubrick" Snyder did"!  In a perfect world, a shot for shot remake of the manga with perfect casting and music and big budget etc, maybe it could work. But since that's not going to happen, and the manga is flawless, there's nothing to be done.

[Roderick]

This is certainly the best effort in that they screwed up the story the least here, but the serious flaws in the overall production hang over it.  Aside from the generally unappealing visuals, the voice-acting really drags this down. 

The Guts VA is most certainly phoning in his entire performance, killing much of the gravity of the delivering regarding in his spiritual & mental state.  The animation and art in the cave tried to compensate for it, but it is too little to truly offset the dull acting.

Mozgus is also a bit of a disappointment in this regard.  He sounds suspiciously like the narrator and has very limited range in his voice.  Too much of a boom in his voice as he his portraying his saintly side, so his shift he his violently zealous side isn't as shocking or impressive as it should be.

Also some inconsistent violence censorship as Mozgus' executors go to town on the "heretics."  Pretty likely it's as Aazealh stated earlier in it's probably a budget or technical issue where they can't directly show the more elaborate turtures.  Although considering how poor much of the animation is, it's probably better it is left to the imagination.

Best clip may have been the moment where the short guy plucks out the eyeballs of that one poor sod and deftly runs off with his peepers.  Horrific moment, but well executed I thought

Or, hey, tell me if I'm wrong and should give it a second chance. I see that it's gotten "better" according to many here, but to the level it's genuinely watchable and not just out of fealty to Berserk? I mean, I want to like Berserk anime! I really like the '97 series (especially now), probably more than most.

It still pretty bad.  This one is only "better" because the previous episodes have been such raging dumpster fires.  The script and the rare moments of competence are the only real silver lining here. 

I suppose it's potentially enjoyable if one is willing to overlook its major flaws.  The moments I kinda enjoy here and there are mostly propelled by nostalgia and even then the execution more often than not ruins it.

[ApostleBob]

You're aware a full month passes between the Eclipse and the time Guts leaves Godot's place, right? It makes no sense whatsoever for an apostle to just keep the knife in like that, not to mention the fact it means he never returned to his human form... And it's also in the wrong eye. Maybe it's an homage to the Eclipse, but I'm pretty sure the viewer is supposed to assume Guts just threw the knife.

I was not aware that it was a full month, but now that you mention it that sounds about right. Between the recovery, birth of the child cutting up fish and creation of armor and arm...

However, I think the anime is doing it's own thing and timeline. Which sucks, but as long as it's internally consistent, whatever. Mainly I just thought it a clever detail to remember for such a minor apostle. It's cetrtaily not brilliant, as it falls apart with any scrutiny at all.

And again, Guts is killing low rent apostles like it isn't anything at all. This is supposed to be a STRUGGLE.

[Roderick]

Anyway, this felt passable enough because they stuck to the manga, but it's still a radically impoverished version of the story. Less content, badly edited, badly delivered, and with terrible visuals. I know this is nothing new, and I guess it can't get any better than it was in this episode... But I just can't be satisfied with that. At its best, it's still bad.

Yes, I think this episode might end up being the best quality this series is capable of delivering.

[Cyrus Jong]

I didn't, but it's not without warrant

Touché, but the image they used is honestly ridiculous, anatomically impossible to pull without killing the victim, and impossible to take seriously. And this is not a scene you want to screw up. And my mistake, it wasn't a tentacle, but a giant finger.

[Gamehowitzer]

Isn't she supposed to sound like that? I mean yeah, her voice did sound a little young. But keep in mind this is a Japanese anime. Be prepared for the voices of a female to stab your ear drums, especially someone who has the mentality of a vegetable.

I mean yeah she does have the broken mind but what does a mindless adult sound like? A mindless adult, not an infant or a 5 year old. She went "uuwaaaahhhh" and it sounded more like an infant babbling at something than an adult with the mind of a baby babbling at something. Its just something that i had worried about since the beginning of this adaptation which is why i'm a bit over-critical of this point. She didnt even sound like a woman. Well, at least  is going to be broken out of her stupid god complex soon. And that battle with the inquisitioner is going to be animated horribly. The only things that will redeem the horrible fight will be Griffiths emergence from the egg and guts killing the big goat head dude after he takes  . oh and him fighting on the cliff. anything im forgetting here?

[Defengar]

Best episode so far... but honestly that really, really isn't saying much. It does give me a glimmer of hope for the rest of the series though. Hopefully the next episode will be just as decent; I think that's all we can really hope for. If it's even better, then my expectations will be blown, and this may actually turn out to be a decent series overall (really just the last two thirds).

[PENumber2]

Finally, something passable as an episode of a show on television! ... though Casca was a bit more brain dead than I was expecting her to be. From the manga I always got the impression that she was absent minded ... not drooling at the mouth. 

[Aazealh]

From the manga I always got the impression that she was absent minded ... not drooling at the mouth.

That same scene in the manga does show her drooling.

[Lawliet]

Just watched the episode and I was surprised to see that it was acceptable (but not beyond that). I like how more faithful to the manga it was than the travesty of an episode before it.

Still, the voice acting sucked, to be blunt. Guts should have sounded more pissed off during his confrontation with Rickert for example.

Some of my favourite lines from that part of the story are missing here. Such as:

"A good sword, even if it rusts and dulls, has good steel that never rusts left over in the wick. That steel's the ultimate steel. Even if it cracks, if you return it to the fire, it's sure to be reborn." ~ Godo, Volume 17.

[Sikorsky87]

Whelp...better...I guess? I really do wish they had chosen to leave out the flashbacks. I guess it's better for viewers new to Berserk, but I wish they would spend the time on..idk making a better show and people new to Berserk can go back and read the manga...or at least watch the anime/movies.

Glad they included 

[Tabris]

I've seen this episode twice now. It definitely was the best episode so far but it still feels off and diluted.

If anything it gives me hope that episode 3 is as bad as it will get sigh.

[DirectDK]

Was out of town until yesterday so finally got to see episode 4!  And happy to say this is definitely my favorite episode so far.  Felt a lot of nostalgia and I stayed emotionally connected throughout the first half.  I also quite enjoyed the introduction of Mozgus and the torturers.  The killings were pretty brutal and the animation looked good to me.  I enjoyed the pacing of this one too.  Unlike episode 3, there were finally moments to breathe and take in the story.  Really hope the rest of the series keeps improving like this one.

[Mammon]

I'm kinda starting to watch these episodes because "oh yeah... it came out a few days ago, better check it..."
My initial enthusiasm is totally gone. 
I really thought that that awful movie trilogy would be a reality check, and they couldn't screw up this time...

Oh well, this episode was better than the last one at least;
I kinda liked the whole Mozgus and his very own Ginyu Force scene in general; nice detail when Serpico touched his  pointy mask/helmet (not sure how to say it in English) after seeing the Plague-Doctor looking dude.
This is the kind of things I think were missing in the 97 anime (still the best) and the new trilogy. Charming little background details like that.
Or the knife still being in the (indeed wrong) eye of the chicken apostle, I took it as a wink to manga readers (even if highly impractical).

And the Pig Apostle being a Dog Apostle is now canon? Haha that made me smile, the simple things we miss,
I've just re-read his fight with guts and yeah his snout definitely look dog-like, kinda look like "Terror" from "The Boys" (don't recall the name of that kind of dog).

And the voice acting still doesn't exactly gives me chills, hopefully it gets better.
Hopefully it's a bad start and everything gets better, that's the reason I keep watching it after all...

[Vixen Comics]

I mean yeah she does have the broken mind but what does a mindless adult sound like? A mindless adult, not an infant or a 5 year old. She went "uuwaaaahhhh" and it sounded more like an infant babbling at something than an adult with the mind of a baby babbling at something. Its just something that i had worried about since the beginning of this adaptation which is why i'm a bit over-critical of this point. She didnt even sound like a woman.

I kind of agree I have been dreading the animated version of Casca's mentally regressed sounds she will be making in audiou form. I cringe when I read it in the manga and hearing it gives a whole new level of sad to her condition. I rather appreciated the way the english voice actress who did her "sounds" in the first video game pulled it off. She sounds mentally regressed and simple minded without going over board, just enough to get the point across.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO0PwiRSJww

check out: 4:24  10:23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuQ6dVwe0o

But like some one else pointed out, it might be because anime girl voices are just very high.

Seeing this episode I was reminded on how despicable I found Farnese at first. Her getting off on those men getting crushed really made me despise her when I first read the manga. What a turn around for her characterization. She was really in danger of becoming a Mozgus clone at this point in her life.

And LUKA! I love her, and it was nice to her animated and stick up for Casca even though she knew nothing of her. Luka is the one of the best side characters in Berserk