This was a really fun review to read. I read the series when I was too young to fully appreciate its place in the canon and abandoned my love of it unthinkingly, at a time when no-longer-liking-it was the virtuous thing to do. The fourth and fifth books never found the high of the first three for me, which I reread twice in high school.
This makes me want to revisit them from page one and see what strikes me now that didn’t 15+ years ago.
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm especially excited to talk about the fourth book, since I seem to be the only person who thinks it's the best of the series.
I'll make you all believers!
Also, I'm not typically a rereader. I've probably reread fewer than ten books in my life, but I am finding this a pretty enjoyable experience, so I definitely recommend it.
I’m hopping back on to say that my son wanted me to tell you he really enjoyed your article and thought it was great. He wants to know whether you have read Berserk?
I have not read Berserk, but it's on my list. Everyone and their mother seems to be reading Berserk right now and so the appeal grows stronger for me.
I must admit, though: I am not a comic book person. I didn't grow up with the medium and I find it sometimes...very bad. But I am very interested in giving Berserk a try.
If you're not sure about reading the comic, you should try watching the show. It only covers one arc of a much longer story, but it's a terrific watch. Bloody, solemn, otherworldly and earnest. When I first saw it as a teen I watched all twenty-five episodes in a single delirious sitting at a friend's house. I went through it at a more reasonable pace with Sarah five years ago, thinking it'd be a sort of campy so-bad-it's-good experience only to realize that it was genuinely great. Also, incredible soundtrack!
Yeah, like you, I watched it when I was a kid. Probably like 12 or 13. My memory not so good so I don't remember much of it.
Probably a rewatch is warranted. Funny enough, I find any anime made after the year 2000 to be difficult to watch so this is probably still right for me.
I had a massive crush on the friend who showed it to me in sophomore year, so I remember being soooo excited she invited just me over for a sleepover and that maybe it was going to be romantic--she'd seen it before, I hadn't. I don't know how well you remember the final episode, but it is a spectacular and horrific mega-downer, so getting to it at the end of a marathon watch at like 4am was such a ... colorful experience, emotionally 😂
I think what sets Berserk apart from other anime is its pacing -- it's a lot more deliberate, it's not broken into uneven chunks like a lot of shows were even then. Probably inherited from the manga, which must've been conceived by somebody willing to play the long game...though the author died recently, so even if I pick up the series one day I'll never know how it ends. Long series are a gamble, for readers & writers alike I guess.
I don't remember anything about the series except a big sword and some homoeroticism, haha. It's funny how unforgettable young romance can be and how those experiences impact so much of who we become. The band Senses Fail was terrible, but I had some pretty important life moments because of a girl who loved them a whole lot.
I've been hearing such good things about the manga that I'm probably going to try picking it up soon. We'll see how it goes!
I have never read any of Martin’s books, but my son is a huge fan, and I am sending him your article.
Your point that we never expect a hero to die, because in nearly every story ever written he escapes at the last moment, reminds me of a Vietnam war film called Hamburger Hill. The film is from 1987, and afaik is the first film that kills off the person we’ve been led to think is the main character near the beginning. It was shocking. But that is what happens in war--it’s not like some soldiers get special protection for being interesting or attractive or popular. The film 1917--which I think is brilliant--does the same thing. And even more than 30 years later it’s still shocking, because killing off a main character in the beginning or middle of a story violates a literary convention.
Very much the deep breath before the plunge. A very, very sad plunge into a long, rambling book focused on extraneous world building nobody asked for.
It was so nice when Martin's editors could still somewhat reign him in.
I am so excited to read book four partly because of how angry the review may make you! Unless, somehow, someway, I change my mind on this reread.
In which case, it'll read like an extended high five.
This was a really fun review to read. I read the series when I was too young to fully appreciate its place in the canon and abandoned my love of it unthinkingly, at a time when no-longer-liking-it was the virtuous thing to do. The fourth and fifth books never found the high of the first three for me, which I reread twice in high school.
This makes me want to revisit them from page one and see what strikes me now that didn’t 15+ years ago.
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm especially excited to talk about the fourth book, since I seem to be the only person who thinks it's the best of the series.
I'll make you all believers!
Also, I'm not typically a rereader. I've probably reread fewer than ten books in my life, but I am finding this a pretty enjoyable experience, so I definitely recommend it.
I’m hopping back on to say that my son wanted me to tell you he really enjoyed your article and thought it was great. He wants to know whether you have read Berserk?
Glad he enjoyed it!
I have not read Berserk, but it's on my list. Everyone and their mother seems to be reading Berserk right now and so the appeal grows stronger for me.
I must admit, though: I am not a comic book person. I didn't grow up with the medium and I find it sometimes...very bad. But I am very interested in giving Berserk a try.
If you're not sure about reading the comic, you should try watching the show. It only covers one arc of a much longer story, but it's a terrific watch. Bloody, solemn, otherworldly and earnest. When I first saw it as a teen I watched all twenty-five episodes in a single delirious sitting at a friend's house. I went through it at a more reasonable pace with Sarah five years ago, thinking it'd be a sort of campy so-bad-it's-good experience only to realize that it was genuinely great. Also, incredible soundtrack!
Yeah, like you, I watched it when I was a kid. Probably like 12 or 13. My memory not so good so I don't remember much of it.
Probably a rewatch is warranted. Funny enough, I find any anime made after the year 2000 to be difficult to watch so this is probably still right for me.
I had a massive crush on the friend who showed it to me in sophomore year, so I remember being soooo excited she invited just me over for a sleepover and that maybe it was going to be romantic--she'd seen it before, I hadn't. I don't know how well you remember the final episode, but it is a spectacular and horrific mega-downer, so getting to it at the end of a marathon watch at like 4am was such a ... colorful experience, emotionally 😂
I think what sets Berserk apart from other anime is its pacing -- it's a lot more deliberate, it's not broken into uneven chunks like a lot of shows were even then. Probably inherited from the manga, which must've been conceived by somebody willing to play the long game...though the author died recently, so even if I pick up the series one day I'll never know how it ends. Long series are a gamble, for readers & writers alike I guess.
I don't remember anything about the series except a big sword and some homoeroticism, haha. It's funny how unforgettable young romance can be and how those experiences impact so much of who we become. The band Senses Fail was terrible, but I had some pretty important life moments because of a girl who loved them a whole lot.
I've been hearing such good things about the manga that I'm probably going to try picking it up soon. We'll see how it goes!
I have never read any of Martin’s books, but my son is a huge fan, and I am sending him your article.
Your point that we never expect a hero to die, because in nearly every story ever written he escapes at the last moment, reminds me of a Vietnam war film called Hamburger Hill. The film is from 1987, and afaik is the first film that kills off the person we’ve been led to think is the main character near the beginning. It was shocking. But that is what happens in war--it’s not like some soldiers get special protection for being interesting or attractive or popular. The film 1917--which I think is brilliant--does the same thing. And even more than 30 years later it’s still shocking, because killing off a main character in the beginning or middle of a story violates a literary convention.
Anyway, thanks for making me think!