English Dub Review: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition “Demise of a Dream”

Overview:

Guts leaves the Band of the Hawk, which sets off a domino effect for Griffith and the rest of the group.

Our Take:

Guts is set on leaving the Hawks, but Griffith won’t let him leave without a fight. Others want him to stay too, but Griffith actually draws his sword. It only takes Guts one swing to break Griffith’s sword in two and that’s the end of the duel. Guts goes on his way and he leaves everyone else behind.

Afterwards, Griffith sneaks into Princess Charlotte’s room. One thing leads to another and the two end up having sex. They are seen and Griffith is captured the next morning. The King of Midland whips him numerous times and orders for Girffith to be tortured, but kept alive. Not only that, but the rest of the Hawks are being attacked by the Midland Army. Everything is going downhill quickly for the band of the Hawk.

I didn’t think Griffith would take too kindly to Guts wanting to leave the Hawks. That being said, I also didn’t think it would drive him as crazy as it seems to be. Even while he’s with Charlotte, Griffith only has one thing on his mind and that’s Guts saying goodbye. It’s bothering most of the other Hawks as well, but it’s really eating away at Griffith. His expression for a majority of the episode is so cold and emotionless. He gets relentlessly tortured and loses the Egg of the King. Despite that, he is still unfazed.

We don’t get to see much of Guts’ side after he leaves. We see him at the very end of the episode as he passes by a cart that a pixie or a fairy is riding in, but that’s about it. I’m intrigued where that will go, but I also want to know if Guts regrets his decision to leave. Plus, there’s still his relationship with Casca. I have a feeling that Guts is more romantically interested in her than he claims to be.

Overall, this episode opens up a lot of questions. It’s a very intriguing episode and it keeps me guessing what will happen next. I can do without the long bedroom scene, but those kinds of scenes have never really been for me. Regardless, this is a strong episode and a good start for the next chapter in the story.