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As a diehard fan ofBerserk, the lack of a proper anime adaptation will always kill me. The 1990s anime and the Golden Age arc trilogy, as good as they were, are incomplete stories that still fell short in certain key areas, and the 2016 anime completely fails as an adaptation in every regard, so at this point, it feels likeBerserkis just something that can’t work in animation.
MostBerserkfans have given up on seeing a proper anime, but if anyone could pull it off, it would be the team behind Netflix’sCastlevania.Castlevaniais a series with a lot of overlap withBerserk’s aesthetic thanks to their shared penchant for violence, gore, and overall dark atmospheres, and with howCastlevania’s production is handled, it’s clear thatCastlevania’s team is perfect for aBerserkanime. I’m hardly the first person to say this, but now more than ever, it feels like that idea is impossible to refute.
Why So Many Studios Have Tried & Failed To Give Berserk A Proper Anime
Why Berserk Is Always So Hard To Adapt Into Animation
Berserkis the kind of manga that deserves a proper anime, and unfortunately, it’s easy to see why it’s never gotten one until now. For starters,Berserkis one of the longest-running manga of all time with 35 years of serialization, so giving it a full adaptation means committing to probably over a decade of work, especially with how prone the manga is to lengthy hiatuses.The incredible length ofBerserk’s story, combined with its frequent hiatuses, makes a full adaptation a commitment few studios would want to undergo, and it’s hard to argue with that idea.
Another issue likely stems from the artwork. One of the biggest hallmarks ofBerserkis the gorgeous detailing and paneling of its artwork, a feature that’s been wonderfully maintained by Kouji Mori and Studio Gaga in the wake of Kentaro Miura’s passing, and as seen in previous adaptations, it’s intricate to the point of being almost impossible to replicate in animation and look consistently good.Berserk’s art style can be seen as being so good to the point of being detrimental to animation, and that’s likely why the adaptations it has received have never gotten too far in the story.
Why The Team Behind Castlevania Would Be Perfect For A Berserk Anime
What Makes Castlevania Such A Great Fit For Berserk?
The team behind Netflix’sCastlevaniawould be perfect forBerserk, and that idea hardly comes from nowhere. For starters, as previously stated,Castlevaniahas plenty of overlap withBerserkthanks to them both being violent dark fantasy stories with plenty of nudity and often grotesque monster designs, all while being surprisingly uplifting at their cores through their casts and themes of hope.Berserkis the exact type of dark fantasy story the team at Powerhouse Animation has perfected withCastlevania, and I would love to see all of that talent used forBerserk.
Better than that is the quality ofCastlevania’s production.Castlevaniahas constantly been praised for its incredible artwork and animation that consistently ranks among the best of any animated production every year, and it doing so while keeping the character designs and fight choreography so complicated and intricate works to sell that even further. One of the biggest obstacles for aBerserkanime is the challenge of translating its highly-detailed artwork into animation, but I can happily say thatthe incredible quality ofCastlevania’s animation shows that its team is perfect fora hypotheticalBerserkanime.
The best part about all of this, of course, is how theCastlevaniateam is fully on board with making aBerserkanime. Back in 2020, series director Samuel Deats said that he lovedBerserkand would happily make aBerserkanime if it were up to him, and while it’s unknown what specific circumstances are preventing it,the fact thatCastlevania’s staff already likesBerserkand would want to make an anime for it is even more reason why they should be given the reins of aBerserkanime.
The Streaming Model Is Actually The Perfect Way To Handle A Berserk Anime
Berserk Already Has The Perfect Release Model For An Anime
If theCastlevaniateam was put in charge ofBerserk, that begs the question of how a hypothetical adaptation would be released. Naturally, the series would be a Netflix exclusive, just likeCastlevania, and while anime is now often released weekly on Netflix, aBerserkanime by Powerhouse Animation would technically still be a Western production, thus barring it from that sort of treatment. As such,aBerserkanime made by theCastlevaniateam would likely be released on a batch schedule with 10 or so episodes a year.
That sort of schedule would be fine by me, of course.Berserkhas long since been structured in a way that allows each story arc to be treated as a separate event, soa hypotheticalBerserkanime only releasing one arc at a time would allow the team behind it the freedom to focus only on one story at a time without worrying about juggling the entire narrative at once. The 2016 anime often suffered from trying to do too much at one time, and with how poorly that turned out, it would make sense to try and avoid it.
More than that, of course, is what it would mean for the anime’s quality. As appealing as a long-runningBerserkanime is, I know that it’s a story that would only work if the team behind it is given as much time as possible to work on the art and animation, as shown by how often previous anime failed to live up to the manga, soI know that a hypotheticalBerserkanime would be at its best if each season had as much time as possible to make the art and animation match the quality of the manga.
Is The Castlevania Team Making A Berserk Anime Even Possible?
Can Powerhouse Animation Even Make A Berserk Anime?
I can say wholeheartedly that there would be no better team for a newBerserkanime than the team behindCastlevania, but whether that’s even possible is another story, entirely. While the quality ofCastlevaniaspeaks for itself, just because the team would be good at it doesn’t mean they can get it. Director Samuel Deats said as much five years ago, so as it stands,theCastlevaniateam will never get a chance to work on a newBerserkanime unless the actual owners of the IP are willing to lend it to them.
That doesn’t change how great it would be to see an anime, of course.Castlevaniahas always been one of the best dark fantasy stories around, withCastlevania: Nocturneseason 2upping the quality to an insane degree, so no matter how long it takes,I can say with full confidence that there would be no one better equipped for a hypotheticalBerserkanime than the team behindCastlevania. It’s nothing but a pipe dream right now, but with how much a good anime would only helpBerserk, there’s no one I would trust more than the team behindCastlevania.
