'Berserk' 2016 Episode 5 Review: Showing A World Where Good & Evil Are Flipped, Anime Finally Shines [VIDEO]
For most Berserk fans, Episode 5, Tower of Conviction, was the first true episode of the 2016 anime adaptation of the popular manga. With intense fight scenes and a whole lot of plot progression, Episode 5 managed to please both fans and critics alike.
What really made Tower of Convictions great was the simple fact that it followed the events of the manga very closely. From the intense and bloody massacre of the Kushans under Guts' new blade, to the disturbing return of Mozgus, Episode 5 was one wild ride from start to finish.
However, what really made the episode work very well was the fact that managed to satisfactorily depict one of the biggest themes of Berserk -- the ambiguity of good and evil. During the course of the episode, viewers were able to see an allegedly immoral character acting moral and allegedly moral characters acting, well, pretty much like monsters.
Indeed, one of the best things about Tower of Convictions were the scenes involving Casca and her current protector, Luca, who is a prostitute. Despite her 'immoral' profession, Luca nonetheless became the episode's moral compass by protecting the damaged Casca and sharing her spoils with her fellow sex workers.
On the other hand, the religious zealots, who considered themselves moral, were the ones who acted like monsters. Take Mozgus, for example. After passionately orating about the love of a mother to her child, the chief inquisitor wasted no time taking the unfortunate woman to his personal torture chamber, simply because he considered her a sinner.
Just like the previous episode, Tower of Convictions was very plot-driven. There were a couple of intense action sequences in the episode, and both were depicted quite well. Though the CGI was still pretty sloppy at times, the sheer scope and beauty of Berserk's plot and universe are enough to make the episode enjoyable nonetheless.
Overall, Tower of Convictions holds much promise for the series as a whole. If the anime can continue at this pace, the 2016 adaptation of Berserk might very well live up to the expectations of fans and critics alike.
