The 2016 adaptation of popular dark fantasy manga Berserk has polarized fans ever since the first episode aired. Skipping through two full arcs in the manga and employing a mix of traditional 2D animation and CGI, the ongoing series has been criticized for its overall presentation and pace. This last week's episode, however, was surprisingly received well by fans.

What is particularly interesting is the fact that Berserk 2016 Episode 3 was received quite poorly by critics. When the first episode aired, a number of critics actually disagreed with the overall fan reception, stating that the utilization of CGI is something that should be embraced. This particular sentiment, however, stands in stark contrast to most fans' opinion about the ongoing series.

The second episode was received a bit better by both fans and critics alike, mainly due to the episode's more consistent animation and the drops of humor injected into the episode. During the time, it appeared like the 2016 adaptation of Berserk is starting to gain steam.

Last week's episode, called Night of Miracles, surprisingly had very differing reactions from fans and critics of the anime. The episode was classic Berserk, with titular character Guts continuing his quest for vengeance by going after each member of the Apostles of the Godhand. During the episode, Guts, together with Lady Farnese, make their way to the estate of the late Count Landson. In the estate, Guts does find his target, and in classic Berserk fashion, blood spills. A lot.

The previous episode was definitely not for the faint of heart. The inclusion of a particularly disturbing possessed horse, for one, has been cited by critics as one of the most difficult scenes to watch in the anime so far.

However, fans of the manga have largely perceived the events of the episode differently, with many avid Berserk followers stating that Night of Miracles is the best episode in the ongoing anime series to date. According to most of the fans, the intense blood and gore in the episode, coupled with the dark sexual themes in the end, are exactly what Berserk is supposed to be.

This is not to say that Episode 3 was flawless, however, as many fans have pointed out the rather strange censorship that was applied to the episode. In this particular aspect, fans have a point. After all, it is quite strange for such a mature anime to feature anatomically correct gore sequences while showing the female body missing notable parts for the sake of avoiding possible complaints.

Then again, Berserk 2016 is being adapted in a manner that is designed to attract a wider audience than before. Thus, the censorship, no matter how distasteful it is, could simply be caused by the fact that, at the end of the day, Berserk 2016 is designed to bring the classic dark fantasy tale to mainstream audiences.

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Berserk, Berserk 2016