Hey Skullknighters, I’ve been working intermittently on a Berserk fan edit of the Golden Age trilogy intercut with the ’97 anime. The goal is to make a series of four movies that more accurately represent the spirit of Berserk and yet retain an exciting cinematic pace. There have been hundreds of minor edits to make scenes and conversation flow better as well as major additions to improve character development and plot.
This cut is coming from a wholly different philosophy than Griffith’s excellent and meticulous fanedit Berserk: Recut. While I am trying to make the movies more faithful to the manga, this is by no means a purist cut that attempts to recreate manga as accurately as possible. These are meant to feel like movies. I don’t think that the manga, as it is, lends itself to being a “movie.” This is not to say that I think that the story is told bad in manga form; quite the contrary. But I do think some storytelling techniques work better in the literary mediums. Therefore there have been some cuts, and overall voiceover has been significantly diminished. The Black Swordsman has been shifted to a more linear position in the story. If the movies represent a scene in a way that I find more interesting or cinematic than the anime, I go with that version of it.
Another important note: The ’97 anime is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio while the golden age trilogy is 16:9. I chose to retain these original formats to avoid drastic recropping of the picture and composition of the anime. I realize this may initially feel abrupt, but I promise that you get used to it.
All comments and feedback are welcome.
Notable changes to movie 1 include:
-Color correction to match the animation styles of the two formats
-Hundreds of minor cuts to make conversation flow more naturally
-Removal of most voice over and redundant dialogue throughout
-Removal of many background characters commentary (Not all)
-Restoring the "In this world" opening line by Void
-Modification of opening credits
-Restoring Corkus's debate on whether to attack Guts on the road
-Multiple minor edits during Corkus, Casca and Griffith's initial attack on Guts
-Removal of super human jump by Griffith
-Restoring minor reactions after Guts is beaten a second time by Grifith
-Restoring Guts reflecting on his loss in a tent and Casca warding off an ambush by Corkus
-Restoring Guts First battle with the Hawks
-Restoring Guts childhood flashbacks
-Restoring Griffith's philosophical discussion with Guts about destiny after the battle
-Restoring the after battle party
-Restoring the morning discussion with Judeau and the water fight with Griffith
-Restoring the Beherit being introduced after the water fight. Includes Fortune teller flashback
-Removal of the trilogy's "I will have my own kingdom" scene
-Extension of the fight with Zodd to be more intense and faithful (Guts beaten worse, Zodd's arm severed)
-Restoring Minister Foss and nobles confronting Guts in castle corridor after Zodd
-Restoring Guts visiting injured Griffith at chapel and getting punched by Casca
-Removing Griffith showing Guts the Beherit on the stairs and Guts almost falling off railing.
-Restored Guts musing on the roof with his sword
-Restored Foss and Julius's plotting. Shortened significantly so that Julius doesn't come off so thick headed.
-Shortened the Fall Hunt scene so that Charlotte doesn't wail at the end
-Added Guts talking to Griffith about his library
-Added Guts witnessing Julius give Adonis a harsh sword lesson.
-Shortened Julius's death scene so he doesn't stagger like a zombie
-Extended Guts escape from Julius's keep to be more intense.
-Restored Guts escape into the sewers after leaping over the wall.
-Some subtle edits in the 'dreams' speech.
Changes not made:
-Aspect ratio for both media sources remain true their original format (This cannot be fixed without massive picture cropping)
-Opening castle siege remains (Sets up a world at war, is an exciting opening, and does a great job of introducing Guts)
-Guts wears a mask during assassination of Julius (a reasonable change and the trilogy's version of the scene is more cinematic)
CONTINUITY NOTE:
Due to merging two different sources of the same story, there are certain inevitable continuity errors. This edit focuses on character, story, and pacing over the continuity of wardrobe, art style, or minor details. These continuity errors are known and remain by choice.
Total Running time: 97 minutes
Final disclaimer: This fanedit is for educational purposes only. I own all of this source media in a commercially available format and do not endorse piracy in any way. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO WARNER BROTHERS, STUDIO 4ºC, VIZ MEDIA, VAP, AND MEDIA BLASTERS. Viewers should own a commercially available version of the film and television show prior to viewing this fanedit.
This cut is coming from a wholly different philosophy than Griffith’s excellent and meticulous fanedit Berserk: Recut. While I am trying to make the movies more faithful to the manga, this is by no means a purist cut that attempts to recreate manga as accurately as possible. These are meant to feel like movies. I don’t think that the manga, as it is, lends itself to being a “movie.” This is not to say that I think that the story is told bad in manga form; quite the contrary. But I do think some storytelling techniques work better in the literary mediums. Therefore there have been some cuts, and overall voiceover has been significantly diminished. The Black Swordsman has been shifted to a more linear position in the story. If the movies represent a scene in a way that I find more interesting or cinematic than the anime, I go with that version of it.
Another important note: The ’97 anime is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio while the golden age trilogy is 16:9. I chose to retain these original formats to avoid drastic recropping of the picture and composition of the anime. I realize this may initially feel abrupt, but I promise that you get used to it.
All comments and feedback are welcome.
URL: https://vimeo.com/118679440

Notable changes to movie 1 include:
-Color correction to match the animation styles of the two formats
-Hundreds of minor cuts to make conversation flow more naturally
-Removal of most voice over and redundant dialogue throughout
-Removal of many background characters commentary (Not all)
-Restoring the "In this world" opening line by Void
-Modification of opening credits
-Restoring Corkus's debate on whether to attack Guts on the road
-Multiple minor edits during Corkus, Casca and Griffith's initial attack on Guts
-Removal of super human jump by Griffith
-Restoring minor reactions after Guts is beaten a second time by Grifith
-Restoring Guts reflecting on his loss in a tent and Casca warding off an ambush by Corkus
-Restoring Guts First battle with the Hawks
-Restoring Guts childhood flashbacks
-Restoring Griffith's philosophical discussion with Guts about destiny after the battle
-Restoring the after battle party
-Restoring the morning discussion with Judeau and the water fight with Griffith
-Restoring the Beherit being introduced after the water fight. Includes Fortune teller flashback
-Removal of the trilogy's "I will have my own kingdom" scene
-Extension of the fight with Zodd to be more intense and faithful (Guts beaten worse, Zodd's arm severed)
-Restoring Minister Foss and nobles confronting Guts in castle corridor after Zodd
-Restoring Guts visiting injured Griffith at chapel and getting punched by Casca
-Removing Griffith showing Guts the Beherit on the stairs and Guts almost falling off railing.
-Restored Guts musing on the roof with his sword
-Restored Foss and Julius's plotting. Shortened significantly so that Julius doesn't come off so thick headed.
-Shortened the Fall Hunt scene so that Charlotte doesn't wail at the end
-Added Guts talking to Griffith about his library
-Added Guts witnessing Julius give Adonis a harsh sword lesson.
-Shortened Julius's death scene so he doesn't stagger like a zombie
-Extended Guts escape from Julius's keep to be more intense.
-Restored Guts escape into the sewers after leaping over the wall.
-Some subtle edits in the 'dreams' speech.
Changes not made:
-Aspect ratio for both media sources remain true their original format (This cannot be fixed without massive picture cropping)
-Opening castle siege remains (Sets up a world at war, is an exciting opening, and does a great job of introducing Guts)
-Guts wears a mask during assassination of Julius (a reasonable change and the trilogy's version of the scene is more cinematic)
CONTINUITY NOTE:
Due to merging two different sources of the same story, there are certain inevitable continuity errors. This edit focuses on character, story, and pacing over the continuity of wardrobe, art style, or minor details. These continuity errors are known and remain by choice.
Total Running time: 97 minutes
Final disclaimer: This fanedit is for educational purposes only. I own all of this source media in a commercially available format and do not endorse piracy in any way. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO WARNER BROTHERS, STUDIO 4ºC, VIZ MEDIA, VAP, AND MEDIA BLASTERS. Viewers should own a commercially available version of the film and television show prior to viewing this fanedit.