Berserk - Devil's Advocate (Epi. 14-17)

Now having watched all of the first 4 DVDs, I am anxiously awaiting the 5th and 6th DVD's release. The story begins to get much more twisted and dark by this point in the story.On Berserk as a whole, I can best compare this series to Record of Lodoss War, but with much more violence and adult themes than Lodoss War had. This series is definately not for children. The story is of a mercenary named Guts and set in a world similar to Lodoss War, but with fewer fantastic creatures and different odd races (most all of the characters are human, with a few exceptions). Do not expect to see a bunch of elves and dwarves and dragons, the non-human characters are few and far between.One hilarious bonus feature on all of the Berserk DVDs is the Outtakes. Basically, it is a series of line reading errors placed over the same scene in the original anime scenes. Watch them after viewing all of the episodes on the DVD so that you understand the context, but they are truly hilarious. It's very different than those "outtakes" on other animated DVDs, which are actual added scenes.This is an excelent series; any anime fan should buy it.

This is one of the greatest animes ever made. Great story, amazing character development, love and drama. The only fault I find in this anime is toward the end, which I won't give away. It just feels incomplete. However the story does continue in the manga, but I wish they gave the anime a proper ending. That is why I give it 4 stars.

I have cleaned the disc once myself and had it professionally cleaned and it's still not working

Great series!

Berserk is one of those series that continually get better and better as long as you can stick it out through the first few volumes. In volume one, a dark setting is introduced, as well as an anti-hero that takes delight in killing. In two, we explore the early years of this warrior named Guts, his rise through the Band of the Hawk, and his growing friendship with Griffith, the mysterious leader of the Hawks. In three, back story is revealed of two of the characters, and Guts proves that he may just be a little more than a blood-thirsty berserker.But in volume four, it finally concludes the part of Guts past that ties him to the Band of the Hawk. I will not go into detail, however, of how this happens. Before that does happen, though, the final battle started in volume three continues here, and Guts fights the general of the opposing army, while Griffith meets a character from his past, one whose memory Griffith could do without. Also in this volume, the relationship between Guts and Caska deepens, and the two seem to genuinely enjoy each others' presence. Plus, Zodd, who makes his first appearance in volume two, and completely obliterated Guts and Griffith in singles combat, returns during one fateful moment.This is easily the best volume of the first four, and I'm guessing that this series will only get better in volume five and six. The story progresses considerably in this volume, and definitely shouldn't be missed.

(warning: this review may contain spoilers of previous Berserk discs, but excluding disc 4)Also note, this is a review by someone who has seen only one other full anime (Cowboy Bebop, which is god),and the first discs of a handful of other animes, as well as a few movies. So I'm no "anime expert", but I know what's good, and Berserk is good.In terms of interest, Berserk, a terrific anime, is one that picks up rather slowly. It wasn't really until the third disc that I became truly absorbed in the goings-on of the plot and the characters. In fact, if it weren't for all the praise I've heard of the anime (and the really interesting turn it took at the very end of the second disc involving the assassinations), I may not have even bothered with the last two discs. Episodes 8 and beyond, however, certainly made up for the lack of interesting plot developments before. Not only do we get some very exciting battles, but also insight into each character's past, what each of them wants from life, interesting and surprising relationship developments between them, and political intrigue and deception between The Hawks and the royalty.Episodes 14-17 (disc 4) builds upon this with The Hawks' most triumphant battle yet, another peak at the demon from an earlier episode and a hint of his involvement in things to come, watching as Guts comes to terms with his lack of a 'dream' and his subsequent decision regarding his involvement with The Hawks (which doesn't entirely flesh out in these episodes), seeing whether or not Griffith attains what he'd been dreaming of all these years, and a cliffhanger at the very end of the disc that will leave you breathless and absolutely craving the fifth DVD (which won't be out for a while......darnit).Basically, this is the disc where things really start to get interesting, and after viewing it I can finally understand how all the praise that got me to watch this anime in the first place is justified. It is a real downer that the disc ends on such a cliffhanger with no following disc available, but I try not to hold that against these episodes themselves, which are truly outstanding in their plot and character developments. I also feel the need to mention the rather unforgivably cheap and mediocre animation used much of the time, which in my opinion does damage most during battle scenes. But it's certainly not terrible and is something that can be forgiven, and perhaps forgotten, once you're immersed into the rich plot. The art direction is also pretty cool.In summary, you have no excuse not to get this DVD if you have a morsel of interest in the previous episodes. It is certainly the highpoint of the show thus far, and will leave you hungry for more.p.s. If you happen to get this DVD, do not miss out on the outtakes located in the 'extras' section. It lasts about five to ten minutes and some of them are just hilarious.

Berserk is a great anime. It's got great animation, cool music, great characters and voicing, great story, and tons of action and drama. My only beef with Berserk is the ending, or lack thereof. The 1st episode is actually the last in chronological order. There is a huge gap between the last two chronological episodes and no conclusion. I heard that the manga goes farther, but I never could get into reading manga. I really do like Berserk and recommend it to anime fans, but there is no ending and the price that I'm seeing for it is insane. Don't pay more than $20 for it. You can probably find it for that much.

Thank you very much. Incredible price !!