I know this is generally considered pretty elite, maybe I went into it with my expectations a bit too high, idk... I was prepared for it to be a slow burn, and it DEFINITELY was, but more than that, my issues were with the story being so formulaic.

Because the pacing is so slow, it leaves you time to think instead of being immersed (at least for me personally), and with that time, I could see everything coming... Every story twist & turn I expected, nothing caught me by surprise.

In addition to those gripes, there were indeed times where the art was beautiful, but the animation for the most part was severely lacking. Quite often there were just static pictures that are just being panned across, also instances with a marketplace for example where everyone is frozen (because it's just a picture) and only the character being focused on is animated... Maybe this was just a creative decision and not due to the budget (like the original Berserk), but that kind of stuff pulls me out of the story.

Overall, I just found it okay, but I'd watch more just to see where the story goes, due to the fantastic character development.