First Impressions: Berserk episodes 1-5

Berserk is a 25 episode dark fantasy action anime that was adapted from a highly acclaimed anime that was adapted from the highly acclaimed manga by Kentaro Miura. It was aired in 1998 and was produced by studio OLM which is also known for creating the pokemon anime.
the anime tells the story of guts, a strong willed, fairly stoic mercenary who fights with a sword the size of his body. He has always fought so he could stay alive but it all changed once he unwillingly joins the Band of The Hawk, a mercenary group lead by the silver tounged and charismatic Griffith. 
Now, I guess that I should start by saying that berserk, along with Monster,Stand Alone Complex are the three anime that I have been saving for "when the time was right". And while I have read the first volume of Monster and watched the first episode of S.A.C TWICE (and never continued IDK why Its very dumb of me), I never trully watched enough of berserk to give me a good glimpse of its true nature (with the exception of the outtakes which I'll discuss later). Therefore, I was very exited to see what it'll be like and yet very nervous I overhyped it. 
So far, I really enjoyed Berserk. Its not a masterpiece quite yet and it does have its issues but the show really got me engaged to see where its going. And my engagement definitely comes from how well the show establishes itself and the characters. Right from episode one I was already interested in the Gutts Despite my lack of knowledge he already proved himself as a very badass character with conflicts that I would love to know more of. He's not charismatic or witty but his passion is what makes him unique. 
But my favorite character definately has to be griffith. He is very mysterious and charismatic and I just love how he read Guts like a book. Much like guts, I would love to see how he develops. 
Now, If there's one thing that I probably overhyped then its probably Casca. she isn't a bad character  but I think I really expected to adore her when in truth she's pretty alright and kinda annoying. granted that opinion will hopefully change in the future. I adore her design and her voice actress regardless. 
The interaction between the characters is also really great. They all have great chemistry and I really felt the camaraderie within the band of the hawk despite the short time I've met them. everyone is likable. except corkus who's an asshole. But like GRArkada Said he's OUR asshole. 

When it comes to presentation I can bluntly say that it looks very subpar. It all feels very stilted and unpolished and more like a slide show rather than anime. But what saves it is the character art because it is great. everyone looks diverse and there are different body types and the expressions are also very well done for what OLM managed to execute. They manage to convey the emotions well enough. 
The music in this show on the other hand, is great as expected from susumu hirasawa who composed for films by Satoshi Kon (Bless his soul). Its very unique from what's that expected in the genre and some tracks like "Guts' theme" and especially "Forces" are downright phenomenal. The dub itself is also very solid with some great performances like Marc Diraison as Guts. I have heard that the sub is as good if not better but I think I'll stick to the dub because a) I feel that Its fits the show's more european setting and b) the bloopers are phenomenal! Seriously, go google them now! 

So overall, Berserk has proven itself to be a very engaging story with a very excellent was of executing its exposition and characters. I'll definately keep watching this show and I reccomend you guys to try it as well