Comparing Berserk to American/Italian Movies

By Jonathan Chapman
13th Jun 04

Many people don't see the parallel themes between movies and existing anime. It's important to realize that there are very few original ideas. This doesn't detract from the presentation however. Although anime can and does emulate other films, it does so in a unique fashion. The point of this article is to show the beauty and skill "Berserk" represents, as well as examine the depth of the plot and how it compares to two classics.

"Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (TGTBTU)

Although the comparison might be contrived the two seem to have a lot in common. If you don't know about the film you can read the Ebert review.

"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is a film directed by Sergio Leone, well known for a film style with wide open venues, extreme close-ups, and drawn-out scenes. While Berserk doesn't exactly employ these aspects, it does have stylistic elements. Where Leone drew of the Surrealism movement in art, Berserk draws from the stylistic battle scenes in the original manga. TGTBTU used a strange theme where it froze the action and put on a title for each character. That being said:

The Good: Guts

That's not to say he's a good guy. He fulfills the role that Clint Eastwood did in TGTBTU. He's a lone stranger who says little. He's unnaturally proficient at killing men. The reason he's "The Good" is that nothing he does is for selfish reasons. He always has the good of the group in mind. Guts eventually falls in love with Caska after they fall off a cliff and she nurses him back to health. This is the sort of stoic silent character that defines the western. Even trapped in a demonic hell, Guts manages to create a blood-bath. He chops off his own arm in an effort to save Caska and, although the series ends on a cliffhanger, we're sure he fights his way back out of hell to deal justice to Griffith.

The Bad: Griffith.

Griffith isn't quite as shallow a character as "Angel Eyes" in TGTBTU, but nevertheless he is "The Bad" in Berserk due to his selfishness and ambition. He recruits Guts by defeating him in a fight. He has no less ambition than to expect the whole world to bow before him. This is the force that drives him to greater and greater ambitions (his seemingly unbreakable sprit drawing the warriors he needs to him). He almost attains his goal of being a king, but is betrayed by royalty and eventually sells his soul to demons to attain the power to achieve his goal. The sacrifice to be made are his followers, including Guts and Caska. This is another aspect of the western. If you run with the bad crowd you'll feel the hangman's noose, whether you did anything wrong or not. This affiliation is met as the entire "Hawk Band" is transported to Hell and killed by the demons that live there.

The Ugly: Commander Adon

The Commander supplies the comic relief, always blabbering on about Tuda Empire secret strategies. And he's not pretty either. That's about all one can say about Adon.

In effect the Berserk series is a Japanese Western, not in the sense of locality as much as the themes presented. We have characters who live by their weapons. We have scenes with impossible odds and a prevalent atmosphere of impending doom. As in the Western, it's not how the characters live so much as how they die.

"Gone with the Wind" (GWTW)
If you don't know about the film you can read the Ebert review.

There's nothing that really stands out as amazing about "Gone with the Wind." The scene takes place during the American Civil War. The war isn't the focus of the film however. Despite the surrounding war, the real story is a love triangle. This is parallelled in Berserk. In GWTW the main character, Scarlett O'hara is in love with Ashley. Ashley doesn't wish to crush her, but has no romantic feelings and by arrangement is to marry her cousin Melanie.
In Berserk, Caska is desperately in love with Griffith - since he takes her with him after she is raped by a rich merchant as a teenager. Unfortunately Griffith is more interested in his ambitious goals and is to marry a princess to give clout to his rising positions.
Guts fulfills the role of Rhet Butler, the Yankee hero that tries to divert Scarlett's gaze away from oblivion (her lust for Asheley) and give her the love she needs. While not so charming, Guts tries to show Caska that Griffith can never love her. Unfortunately it's too late in the story by the time she understands. Just as Scarlett, Caska is a strong woman and always keeps her wits about here. This doesn't get around her fatal flaw however, her unquenchable thirst for the man she can never have.

As you can see, "Berserk" employs elements from both an Italian Western and an American Drama. The themes are timeless and carry well to the anime format. Next time you watch a series, think about the films you've seen and other books you've read.

-- Jonathan Chapman 13th Jun 04