Berserk Blog
Does Berserk 1997 Follow the Manga?
Does Berserk 1997 Follow the Manga?
The 1997 anime adaptation of Berserk is generally faithful to the original manga, but some important plots and characters were cut or altered. It primarily adapts the Golden Age arc, leading many to mistakenly believe that this is where the story begins. While the Golden Age arc serves as an extensive flashback in the manga, it is actually the second storyline, following the first half of the Black Swordsman arc.
The anime omitted certain storylines primarily for practical production reasons; the entire manga's narrative couldn't fit into 25 episodes. Additionally, to make the manga's darker elements more suitable for television, some cuts were made. However, this highlights both Kentaro Miura's writing skill and OLM Studio's adaptation prowess, as the overall quality and impact of the anime remain intact despite these omissions.
We offer free online reading of the Berserk manga on our official website; feel free to check out this classic work. Here are some major differences between the anime and manga:
Slan and the Kushan are Introduced in Battle
The 1997 anime does not include Slan and the Kushan characters, who are introduced later in the Golden Age arc in the manga. Slan, a martial arts master from the East, marks the story's transition into a new chapter.
The Skull Knight is a Key Character but Omitted in the Anime
The Skull Knight is one of the most significant characters in Berserk, so his absence in the anime is a notable regret. Besides warning Guts not to be consumed by hate and revenge, the Skull Knight also saves Guts and Casca during the Eclipse event, which is missing from the 1997 adaptation, leading to some narrative gaps.
Treatment of Supernatural Elements in the Anime
The anime and manga differ significantly in their treatment of supernatural elements. The anime introduces these elements right from the first episode but largely neglects them in subsequent arcs until Guts’ first battle with Nosferatu Zodd and the final two episodes during the Eclipse. In contrast, the manga establishes supernatural elements from the beginning, even introducing a synthetic entity called the "Concept of Evil," to which all monstrous beings (especially the God Hand) submit. However, Miura later realized this was too revealing about the overall worldview and made some modifications, which the anime also followed by never mentioning the "Concept of Evil."
Overall, while the 1997 anime makes cuts in the storyline, it remains an excellent adaptation that faithfully captures the essence of the manga. We invite you to explore the charm of this classic work by reading the Berserk manga for free on our official website.