Episode 1 Review | Berserk Tag
I’m very impressed, Berserk managed to partially redeem itself from last week’s episode. For one thing, the action was easier to follow due to their decision to not make as many cuts. Even better, they took the weakest point of the anime (the 3D animation) and were able to briefly turn that into a strength. The biggest advantage of 3DCG is the fact that models don’t need to be re-drawn like in traditional animation, opening up the possibility to do dynamic sweeps and pans in a cheaper and more efficient manner. The episode did this about 2 times to pretty good effect. As long as they don’t pull a ‘K Project Season 2’ and reuse this same type of shot every time they take advantage of this technique, it can be used to create an experience that stands out.
Of course, there are still things that could still be improved upon. Some of the 3D effects ended up just looking weightless, detached from the background, or just plain comical. The 2D scenes were longer in length and number this time, but they generally looked like Attack on Titan on a bad day (a funny look considering the tone of the anime overall). Going off of that, the color palette seemed too bright for my taste, but I’ll just blame it on the holy army that was around for the whole episode this time. The 3DCG still can look very cheap (ie the horse riding scene at the end, wow the hair did not want to cooperate). Finally, I’m glad they kept in Farnese’s self-flagellation scene. It gives me hope they will appropriately adapt the darker scenes that Berserk is so well known for. I’m actually excited for episode 3 now, let’s hope for continued growth!
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