I am in the midst of a passion, almost fanfiction-like, project, a pilot script for a possible Berserk Television adaptation. To further clarify, I hope to discuss the franchise as a whole, the differences in all it's iterations, and what a possible ending to Berserk could look like. This will aid in the construction process, most assuredly, but I also hope to get everybody talking about the things they like, and identify what makes Berserk special.
Aside from the ending, points of contention in regards to this franchise include...
1: Berserk's world view, and how this earthly perception changes from the manga to the anime series.
2: The fantastical aspects of the story, and how they relate and contrast with how supposedly "grounded" Berserk is supposed to be.
3: Misogyny, and weather or not Berserk's portrayal of females is adequate.
4: The God Hand. Just..the God Hand.
5: The way sexual violence is handled.
6: How Berserk's violent content reflects the nature of the story, themes, and previously mentioned world view.
7: Character relationships.
8: Humor, and how it's utilized and/or not utilized in various incarnations.
9: Philosophy. Both the ultimate philosophy the story wishes to propagate, and the individual ideologies the characters convey.
10: Strengths and weaknesses of all iterations, and weather or not all the strong points can exist in the same space without appearing dissonant in regards to tone.
11: The Skull Knight, his actual relevance to the story, and how the plot could move forward without him.
12: How sexual action is portrayed.
13: The European influence seen in Berserk's visual stylings.
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My opinions on this media license are as follows; most of it, I adore. It's tragic, epic in scale but grounded in enough humanity to keep me both wowed and moved in tandem, and extremely powerful, in both it's ideology and emotion. That said, I don't believe that any version of this story told as of me writing this text has ever been..definitive. I believe the manga is too focused on exploiting it's more lurid aspects, overpowering what I consider to be the real meat and potatoes of the narrative. The anime series is definitely my favorite visioning, although the ending (or lack thereof) definitely knocks it down several pegs in regards to my esteem. And the films..are abridged and decidedly less coherent versions of the manga. Fan-service, in other words. Not to suggest they're of a poor quality, they certainly have..merits. If you believe these films to be the pinnacle of Berserk, though, I'd love to know why. Lord knows we can't agree on everything.
I do not proclaim the rendition I'm hoping to put together to be the "Berserk to make all other versions void", as it were. I wouldn't even say it's quality in it's current state. It's just a story I would like to tell.
So..with that, let caution be thrown to the wind, and the fun begin.
Last edited by EndlessEmpty on Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:26 am; edited 8 times in total
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