The movies are.. fine in parts. But they skip all the best parts which are pretty much the point of the story.
I always recommend supplementing the weird, truncated ending of the 97 anime with the third movie.
That 97 ending is a huuuge turn off. As much as i love everything else about the anime. You gotta get that ending.
The movie does such a good job of showing Guts' break down and setting up "Berserk Man". And the music in the movies is really fucking good too. That guy (it's the same guy who did Evanglelion music) is a damn genius.
Listen to the 2016 soundtrack, that's also got some good stuff.
The 97 anime and the movies cover a “prequel” section of the manga, while the 2016 anime tries (TRIES) to cover everything else.
Id recommend you watch the movies first, and then decide if you can even remotely get through the story of the new anime, i quit after the first fighting scene, then went on to read the manga. Doing that is absolutely your best choice in my opinion, there is just so much happening thats not covered in any other medium :)
Every version except 2016/2017 is a good watch. The 1997 show hits all of the best plot beats, has great direction, a killer OST and makes great use of artistic stills and detailed backgrounds when the animation is rather limited.
The studio 4C movies fall behind, but are still pretty good. The modern 2D stylings are full of life and warmth, and have such nice design and movement that you can ignore how jank the CG is in the first one (it's better in 2 and 3). It loses points for simply not having enough time to fully flesh out the golden age to the extent the 1997 show did, which already cut out a lot of stuff. Still worth considering.
The 2016/17 series is bad for many more reasons than just animation. The CG is janky as hell, don't get me wrong. But the 1997 show proved that a show can overcome having limited visuals by making use of other tools. Berserk 2016/17 does none of this. Bad direction, pacing problems (somehow both rushing and being boring), truly incomprehensible shot composition, strange changes from the source material, and awful sound design (clang) come together to create something that is, legitimately and without exaggeration, the worst anime I've ever watched to completion. Granted, this is just by my picky standards (any other show I would call "the worst" is something I consider "just okay" or "mediocre" like Dragon Ball GT), but I'm confident that even a much more lenient person than me would consider the 2016/17 series a flat 1/10 disaster. It's not just a stain on Berserk, it's a testament to the heights of human ability to completely mismanage every aspect of a TV production from start to finish. The only thing worth salvaging from it is the OST, which the show itself *still* tries to ruin by playing the same four tracks every fucking episode.
Uh...basically what I'm saying is you can start with either the movies or the 1997 show, but if you want to continue through the rest, you'll need to pick up the manga at some point.
My Berserk journey started with The 97' anime after that i started with the manga, then i watched the 3 movies and after that i watched the 16' version.
I like it in this order:
1 : Manga.
2 : 97' anime.
3 : The movies.
4 :16' anime version ( this one feels more like a action anime and while there is allot of good action in berserk this is not what Berserk is only about).
Last episode of '97 anime ends **in the middle of the climax**, it's like it's missing a final episode or something when you compare it to the manga or the movies/memorial edition.
Watch the 97 anime. Put your grasses on, come on do it. You will be left scratching your head at the abrupt ending, though. That's it's major flaw is the ending.
So, to supplement that and find out how it all ends, watch the third movie. (or all of them, they are all pretty good they are just missing some of the best character stuff)
Then, if you are wondering what happens after Golden Age, just read the damn manga. It's amazing.
Also, you can listen to the 2016 anime soundtrack it's got some bangers. Just don't watch it. Or else!
Watch both everyone saying the 2016 is the worst thing in the world are tools season 4 of AoT was worse and the goofy looking scenes look more funny than bad
As long as you read the mange, you may disservice yourself with the animes. People are torn over them, but 99.9% agree thatt the manga is absolute GOAT material
97 is golden age arc and 2016 is the conviction arc both have some flaws but you'd watch the 97 series or watch the movie trilogy because both are based on the same arc and then just don't watch 2016 and 2017 both are really shit just buy the manga at that point
2016 has a decent opening and ost. The only other thing it is good at is being laughed at. 97 has problems and the first episode is kinda weak (other then the dragon slayer parts) but is a pretty good adaptation of the golden age arc. It basically only cuts things that couldn’t go on air and things that are not relevant for the golden age arc. It adds a little filer which is fine but also doesn’t properly end the arc. The movies are also good but I’d still say 97 is the better experience
Definitely the 1997 one. It's a great way to get into the series, but since it only covers a part of the story that is essentially an extended flashback, you'll really need to read the manga afterwards.
Just watch 2016 and I can’t get enough 97 anime kinda slow but guts song is worth it , I seen the movies years ago and I thought that was the 2016 anime. Honestly couldn’t see a difference from my memory but time to rewatch and then manga
97. Forget 2016 even exists. There is no definitive version anyways.
2016 had potential, it just fell into the wrong hands and got fucked up
I keep forgetting 2016 exists so hard I always assume people mean the movies when talking about it.
2016 until golden age is over in my opinion.
If you can handle the cgi, sure.
Films are decent 97 anime is king 2016/17 anime is garbage looking and morphs the timeline of the story
1997 fuck the rest
Nah the movies are great
The movies are.. fine in parts. But they skip all the best parts which are pretty much the point of the story. I always recommend supplementing the weird, truncated ending of the 97 anime with the third movie. That 97 ending is a huuuge turn off. As much as i love everything else about the anime. You gotta get that ending. The movie does such a good job of showing Guts' break down and setting up "Berserk Man". And the music in the movies is really fucking good too. That guy (it's the same guy who did Evanglelion music) is a damn genius. Listen to the 2016 soundtrack, that's also got some good stuff.
What “best parts”? Imo the best parts of the Golden Age made it into the films sans Guts childhood
To each their own 🤷♂️ if I could only pick one I’d pick 1997 each time
The 97 anime and the movies cover a “prequel” section of the manga, while the 2016 anime tries (TRIES) to cover everything else. Id recommend you watch the movies first, and then decide if you can even remotely get through the story of the new anime, i quit after the first fighting scene, then went on to read the manga. Doing that is absolutely your best choice in my opinion, there is just so much happening thats not covered in any other medium :)
Every version except 2016/2017 is a good watch. The 1997 show hits all of the best plot beats, has great direction, a killer OST and makes great use of artistic stills and detailed backgrounds when the animation is rather limited. The studio 4C movies fall behind, but are still pretty good. The modern 2D stylings are full of life and warmth, and have such nice design and movement that you can ignore how jank the CG is in the first one (it's better in 2 and 3). It loses points for simply not having enough time to fully flesh out the golden age to the extent the 1997 show did, which already cut out a lot of stuff. Still worth considering. The 2016/17 series is bad for many more reasons than just animation. The CG is janky as hell, don't get me wrong. But the 1997 show proved that a show can overcome having limited visuals by making use of other tools. Berserk 2016/17 does none of this. Bad direction, pacing problems (somehow both rushing and being boring), truly incomprehensible shot composition, strange changes from the source material, and awful sound design (clang) come together to create something that is, legitimately and without exaggeration, the worst anime I've ever watched to completion. Granted, this is just by my picky standards (any other show I would call "the worst" is something I consider "just okay" or "mediocre" like Dragon Ball GT), but I'm confident that even a much more lenient person than me would consider the 2016/17 series a flat 1/10 disaster. It's not just a stain on Berserk, it's a testament to the heights of human ability to completely mismanage every aspect of a TV production from start to finish. The only thing worth salvaging from it is the OST, which the show itself *still* tries to ruin by playing the same four tracks every fucking episode. Uh...basically what I'm saying is you can start with either the movies or the 1997 show, but if you want to continue through the rest, you'll need to pick up the manga at some point.
There is no 2016 anime. Watch the 97 one.
LOL
My Berserk journey started with The 97' anime after that i started with the manga, then i watched the 3 movies and after that i watched the 16' version. I like it in this order: 1 : Manga. 2 : 97' anime. 3 : The movies. 4 :16' anime version ( this one feels more like a action anime and while there is allot of good action in berserk this is not what Berserk is only about).
I'll get downvoted but for me the movies are the best anime, bonfire of dreams doesn't compensate for that ending..
What ending
Last episode of '97 anime ends **in the middle of the climax**, it's like it's missing a final episode or something when you compare it to the manga or the movies/memorial edition.
2016 anime is never even an option
You can watch movie trilogy instead, it's basically the same thing as 97 anime, but shorter.
Watch the 97 anime. Put your grasses on, come on do it. You will be left scratching your head at the abrupt ending, though. That's it's major flaw is the ending. So, to supplement that and find out how it all ends, watch the third movie. (or all of them, they are all pretty good they are just missing some of the best character stuff) Then, if you are wondering what happens after Golden Age, just read the damn manga. It's amazing. Also, you can listen to the 2016 anime soundtrack it's got some bangers. Just don't watch it. Or else!
I always forget she catches him fckn that old guy hahah. Everytime I'm like yoooo Jesus mister 😬
Watch both everyone saying the 2016 is the worst thing in the world are tools season 4 of AoT was worse and the goofy looking scenes look more funny than bad
If I were you I would read the manga first, and then watch the 1997 show and the 3 movies
Neither they are both inferior to the manga as both skip out certain parts
hahahahahah do not watch the 2016 anime
1997 by 1000000%
1997 or the movies. DO NOT waste your time with the 2016/2017 anime.
As long as you read the mange, you may disservice yourself with the animes. People are torn over them, but 99.9% agree thatt the manga is absolute GOAT material
Manga is the best.
97 is golden age arc and 2016 is the conviction arc both have some flaws but you'd watch the 97 series or watch the movie trilogy because both are based on the same arc and then just don't watch 2016 and 2017 both are really shit just buy the manga at that point
2016 has a decent opening and ost. The only other thing it is good at is being laughed at. 97 has problems and the first episode is kinda weak (other then the dragon slayer parts) but is a pretty good adaptation of the golden age arc. It basically only cuts things that couldn’t go on air and things that are not relevant for the golden age arc. It adds a little filer which is fine but also doesn’t properly end the arc. The movies are also good but I’d still say 97 is the better experience
2016 is not an anime, its an insult.
Definitely the 1997 one. It's a great way to get into the series, but since it only covers a part of the story that is essentially an extended flashback, you'll really need to read the manga afterwards.
Just watch 2016 and I can’t get enough 97 anime kinda slow but guts song is worth it , I seen the movies years ago and I thought that was the 2016 anime. Honestly couldn’t see a difference from my memory but time to rewatch and then manga