Berserk Fans, Rise Up: 27 Years Later, 1997’s Cult Anime Gets a Sequel
Hated that the original anime ended on a huge cliffhanger? This problem is now solved.
The Berserk manga is a cult classic among comic aficionados and fans of the dark fantasy genre, and the 1997 anime adaptation of the Golden Age arc of the same name is often included in lists of the best anime of all time.
Despite the fact that there have been two anime adaptations of the manga specifically dedicated to the Golden Age, the entire arc has never been filmed. The first adaptation by Oriental Light and Magic Studio was released in 1997, right after the manga's Eclipse chapter, the climax of the Golden Age, was completed.
For its time, the anime looked strikingly beautiful, with detailed character faces, breathtaking landscapes, high-quality animation, and a great soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa, whose name is already inseparable from Berserk.
1997’s Berserk Never Had a Proper Ending
In fact, the only drawback of the 1997 anime can only be the fact that a sequel was not originally planned. And for a long time, the only consolation for fans were the games from Sammy Studio, which used the original cast of the series and the soundtrack from Hirasawa – Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage for Sega Dreamcast and Berserk Millennium Falcon Chapter: The Holy Demon War Chronicles for PlayStation 2.
The first game was a completely original scenario, while the second could be considered a full continuation of the anime, covering the events from the 22nd to the 27th volume of the manga.
1997's Berserk ended on a huge cliffhanger, but now anime fans have new hope – a week ago a fan-made sequel was released on Arche YouTube channel, which looks like it was made by the same people responsible for the original anime.
Berserk’s Season 2 Episode 1 Was Released on YouTube
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Six months ago, Arche posted a piece of his developments on Berserk, admitting that he had no problems with the animation, but that the sound and the script were his weak points – apparently, he found skilled experts to help him refine these aspects.
The fan-made first episode of the second season looks like a full-fledged successor to the 1997 Berserk – the animation has become even better and more detailed, while staying true to the familiar style, and the soundtrack features familiar motifs of already iconic melodies.
No word yet on when the second episode will be released, but if you are a fan of Berserk, then watching the first episode will definitely make your heart beat faster, just like the good old days when the iconic Berserk was released in 1997.