'97, huh?

Correct me if I'm wrong, since this is a longshot guess of mine, and I don't know where the manga was at during the time the anime was made, but...

I think, from the beginning, that the anime producers knew that if they were to animate Berserk from beginning to THE end, they would overtake the manga at some point or another. And if that's the case, heinous acts against humanity would ensue in the form of filler episodes (i.e. the death of the Ruroken anime and current decay of Naruto). Hence, they decided to purposely cut it short at the series' climax and cut out key characters/events (Puck and Skullknight). In conclusion, if this indeed was the case, then, this is probably a rare case of whoever-plans-these-things making wise decisions.

My theory on the brevity of Berserk, thank you.