Berserk Region 1 DVD Review

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I finally got my DVD today after breaking down and buying it from a local Best Buy. Amazon.com wasnt going to ship out my box set until something like 2 weeks from now. Wonderful.

I just watched episodes 1-3, and am a bit into ep 4. What do I think of it? Well... It certainly could have been better. The video transfers are shitty in my opinion. I was told that this is because Media Blasters presses their own DVD's. Now, I can respect that and all, but you have to understand that this is Berserk. My baby. I could care less how much effort they put into pressing them, I want it to look FLAWLESS. There is decoding residue on every high contrast scene, initally noticeable in the opening.

The dub? Well I hate it, but big deal, I just switch it to the Japanese track and Im happy as anything.

The sound is alright, I of cource would like a 5.1 track, but thats asking for too much anyway... My reciever can emulate 5.1 just fine.

However, on a lighter note I'm noticing things about the anime that i never bothered looking at, or listening to. In the beginning of episode 4, Judeau is talking to Guts on the top of some castle's walls, and as the camera looks at the horizon, you can see fog clear away and clouds come out. Its a very subtle, beautiful transition, and I totally have never seen it before. In the same scene, Judeau says of Griffith: "Its probably beyond his reach to turn his dream into reality within one lifetime" which has obvious implications about whats happening now, but I TOTALLY never noticed it before...

Im happy I bought the DVD, and I will of cource buy the rest of them, but I do wish the video transfer was better.
 

crematorium01

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
The video transfer was near flawless dude. What's your trip man? It's gorgous, everything is almost crystal clear.

THe only artifacts that are on there is the shitty burns on the top and bottom of the video (mostly bottom) and even that is a problem with the animation itself, and not a transfer problem.

The sound I can almost agree on, at times it seems too low, but it is still good.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
The video transfer was near flawless dude. What's your trip man? It's gorgous, everything is almost crystal clear.
What are you using for video cables? Component, S-Video or Composite? Im using component, the beefy god of all video cables, and I can see ridiculous decoding. I've seen amazing video transfers on my same player/TV but the Berserk DVD's is sub-par.
 
In the same scene, Judeau says of Griffith:  "Its probably beyond his reach to turn his dream into reality within one lifetime" which has obvious implications about whats happening now, but I TOTALLY never noticed it before...
It's been a long time since I saw the series, but I wonder if that line really is in the original version... ^^;
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Eh, even if it's not legit, it's still a cool line.

BTW Olivier, I need to make some sound samples for you of the English dub voices. Ill get my best man on it!
 

Uriel

This journey isn't ov--AARGH!
The sooner the better, maybe a clip of both, so we can compare the Japanese with the English? Just a thought! Mine STILL hasn't arrived :'(
 
WHAT A MESS. I CANT BELIEVE IT. IM GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS BULLSHIT.

I think the dub is hilarious, myself.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
wow. the second dvd is out! it contains 4 entire episodes! great...

how much DVD's would fit in that box?
??? The second DVD doesnt come out until July 30th?
 

trapped_soul

"This is it. It's over."

crematorium01

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
What are you using for video cables? Component, S-Video or Composite? Im using component, the beefy god of all video cables, and I can see ridiculous decoding. I've seen amazing video transfers on my same player/TV but the Berserk DVD's is sub-par.

I'm outputting the video with my real hollywood plus mpeg decoder card. So it's a regular composite video cable. However, the audio is still coming form my PC speakers.

It really does look simply amazing with no artifacts other than the animation artifacts that are unavoidable.
 

pav

"Are you lookin at me?"
It is weird when you watch it for the first time because compared compared to the jap dub it is so wrong but when i watched it again it kinda grew on me but the beginning and endings with void just are way confusing the voice just mangles the translation but its Berserk :)
 
Here's something that you guys might want to try: pull out your old fansubs of Berserk and compare it with the DVD subtitled version.

Makes you wonder where they got the script.


-Skully
 

Begemot

STOP UNDRESSING ME WITH YOUR EYES!
Where who got the script?

Anyhow, I'd trust the DVD over fansubs, since fansubbers aren't exactly known for reliable translations.
 

crematorium01

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
are you kidding? If you compare ANY domestic DVD with a fansub, the fansubs 95% of the time will ALMOST BE IDENTICAL to the fansub.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
are you kidding? If you compare ANY domestic DVD with a fansub, the fansubs 95% of the time will ALMOST BE IDENTICAL to the fansub.
:D read that again, crematorium
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Skully! Great Jehosephat, its skully!!! Good to see ya man.
Find a copy of a Berserk fansub done by Ground Zero and I dare you to compare it to the commercial version.
Skully. One word: Hecto.
 

Uriel

This journey isn't ov--AARGH!
Finally, my Berserk DVD arrived ;D

First off, I loved it. No complains at all, it looked good, sounded good and I could ACTUALLY SEE THE COLOURS IN FULL!

One thing though, you all have one guess... yup. The Dub.

How wrong did they wanna be? The messed it up pretty bad. I think Caska was too posh, so was Griffith, Guts was okay, but he sounded like some body builder pulled in from the streets. Corkus was.... WRONG >:(

They totally screwed him over! Same with Yurius and the Snake Baron. The Snake Baron sounded like a damn kiddy fiddler, and Yurius was less agressive than a French Poodle!

Aside from the flooding amount of complaints on dub, the sub was good and clear, and the menu's too.

I am a very happy bunny ^______________^
 
D

Drachenfels

Guest
I finally got my DVD today after breaking down and buying it from a local Best Buy. Amazon.com wasnt going to ship out my box set until something like 2 weeks from now. Wonderful.

I just watched episodes 1-3, and am a bit into ep 4. What do I think of it? Well... It certainly could have been better. The video transfers are shitty in my opinion. I was told that this is because Media Blasters presses their own DVD's. Now, I can respect that and all,  but you have to  understand that this is Berserk. My baby. I could care less how much effort they put into pressing them, I want it to look FLAWLESS. There is decoding residue on every high contrast scene, initally noticeable in the opening.

The dub? Well I hate it, but big deal, I just switch it to the Japanese track and Im happy as anything.

The sound is alright, I of cource would like a 5.1 track, but thats asking for too much anyway... My reciever can emulate 5.1 just fine.

However, on a lighter note I'm noticing things about the anime that i never bothered looking at, or listening to. In the beginning of episode 4, Judeau is talking to Guts on the top of some castle's walls, and as the camera looks at the horizon, you can see fog clear away and clouds come out. Its a very subtle, beautiful transition, and I totally have never seen it before. In the same scene, Judeau says of Griffith:  "Its probably beyond his reach to turn his dream into reality within one lifetime" which has obvious implications about whats happening now, but I TOTALLY never noticed it before...

Im happy I bought the DVD, and I will of cource buy the rest of them, but I do wish the video transfer was better.

I liked your old avatar better.
 

maximus

Es ist einsam im Nebel zu wandern...
Hahahaha!!!
"I don t like ur incident tone!"
dr_evil.jpg
 
Top Bottom