Actually I didn't really have any problems with the anime, 'cept for the ending which was abrupt. They covered the first 13 volumes (Black Swordsman & Golden Age) really well. They focused more on themes of friendship and ambition and left out the more brutal and violent scenes.
I personally think they wanted to go on with the anime but decided against it since it would have caught up really quickly with the manga. I wouldn't at all be surprised that they redo everything once the manga ends....... hopefully in the next 20 years or so.
PS: I'm not joking about the 20 years, the feeling I get from the manga is that we're about halfway through it...... and it's been going for 19 years now.






