English Dub Review: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition “Reunion in the Abyss”

Overview:

The Hawks rescue Griffith, but the result isn’t what they hoped for.

Our Take:

It’s been a trying year for the Band of the Hawk, but they breathe a sigh of relief when they finally get the chance to rescue Griffith. When they find him, they see he is in a terrible state. He’s withered away to nothing, his tendons have been severed, and his tongue has been cut out. Griffith is merely a shell of his former self.

The Hawks’ morale is slowly starting to drop after the reality of the situation sets in. Griffith is obviously incapable of leading them anymore, so they’re not really sure what to do. Everyone is under the impression that Guts is going to set off on his own again. This time, the raiders want to join him. Their future is uncertain, but the Hawks have to push on somehow.

It’s hard to watch Griffith suffer, but it’s also hard to see how his current state is affecting the Band of the Hawk. Everyone looks up to Griffith, so it’s unthinkable to see him as this broken man. The prospect of Guts breaking off with the raiders is interesting. Judeau also tells Guts to take Casca with him should he decide to leave. That would also be interesting since Casca has feelings for both Guts and Griffith. I wonder which path she would choose.

I want to point out another interesting scene. Griffith wakes up when Guts finds him. When he wakes up, he reaches for Guts’ throat. Once Guts starts growing, Griffith grabs his hand instead. It looks like Griffith intended to choke Guts at first. Of course, he has no strength, so this is impossible. It makes sense though, considering Griffith couldn’t stop thinking about Guts leaving the Hawks. In a way, that’s the event that caused everything. We get a glimpse of what’s to come next and it looks like it may be an intense point in the Hawks’ relationship.