Word of warning: Massive spoilers ahead concerning the layout of the new anime. Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.
Well, the first episode of the new anime is out, and I have both good and bad things to say about it. First, it's badass as all hell and Guts is badass as all hell, and it's still extremely dark despite being a TV-broadcasted anime. But, entire scenes from the manga have been cut (Snakehead) and at least two entire really good and actually somewhat significant arcs, The Count and Rosine, along with all the major characters in them. I am very disappointed in this regard. I was sure that they anime wouldn't cut and abridge tons of content like the movies did due to obvious time-constraints. . .but I was completely wrong. Just like Wyald being ommitted from the movies, some great Apostle fights (and important scenes of character-development for Guts in the process) and the entire arcs surrounding them are being cut from the anime. Moreover, they already introduced Isidro and Schierke in the first episode, with Guts even MEETING Isidro already, which I find just ridiculous. They seem to be skipping straight to the Tower of Conviction Arc. Finally, just as I had feared, the animation looks kinda wonky.
I've been introducing a friend of mine who loves anime but doesn't like to ever read manga (and won't do it) to Berserk through the Golden Age movies. I was ALREADY pissed that he as a result had to miss out on major moments of bonding between Guts and Judeu, Guts and Griffith, etc., as well as a chraracter like Wyald and the fight against him, just because he's watching the anime instead of the manga. Now, this is guy is going to miss out on Theresia, Jill, Rosine, and the Count, and EVERYTHING surrounding them. Now, he won't be able to see it as plausible that the Holy Iron Chain Knights manage to capture Guts (since he isn't nearly as severely wounded as he was in the manga) unless they give a major bullshit-powerup to Azan that wasn't in the manga (which based on the next-episode preview, looks like it may be the case). Now, my friend will never see how Guts was willing to take an innocent girl like Theresia hostage in order to achieve his revenge, or how he willingly let himself get stabbed in the face in order to beat Rosine. This will now be the case for anyone who ever views Berserk solely in anime form (which I'm sure will be plenty of folks) rather than reading the manga. Personally I think that's an injustice.
My friend did watch the first episode with me, and he's already turned-off by the weird wonky/uncanny looking CGI animation. Which also sucks. I'm very disappointed.
What do you all think? Is anyone else as disappointed as I am? If you are, are you, like me, still going to watch this series because it's the best we'll ever get of Berserk in anime form, and because it's still very badass?
