There are many types of fantasy, even in the subgenre that could loosely be called "sword and sorcery." Berserk could be described as S&S at its most dark and brutal, and perhaps the best anime in the genre known as dark fantasy.

With its punk rock themes and gore-ridden visuals, it is clear this late night TV broadcast is not a children's show. It takes place in the Middle Ages or a pseudo-medieval world, a brutal age where ordinary people count for nothing. The fantasy elements are actully few and often left hidden in the background.

The central protagonist is Gatts, an unusually powerful swordsman. He soon falls in with a band of mercenaries called the Hawks, led by the extremely competent and charismatic Griffith. Griffith is a man of high ambition and few morals. He bears a magic charm called the Ha-ou no Tamago ("Egg of the Supreme Ruler") and believes it his destiny to rule the world. Gatts appears destined to oppose him. Meanwhile, there are a lot of charged emotions going around in this slow-moving but involving saga, where Gatts struggles to understand his identity and purpose.

If anything, this is not so much a show about violence as it is, as sappy as this may sound, the search for one's heart in a heartless world. Those who like dark drama and angst-ridden violence will want to see this. There's also plenty of service for those who just like to see quarts of blood fly.