English Dub Review: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition “Vow of Retaliation”

Overview:

Guts comes face-to-face with the new demon king.

Our Take:

There is nothing but blood and corpses for miles. This is all Guts sees as he stares down with his former comrade and newly crowned demon king: Griffith. That is, until we see that Casca has been captured. At least she’s still alive. Griffith then starts having his way with her. Guts is being forced to watch since his arm is caught in a demon’s mouth. He severs it so he can attempt to rescue Casca. He fails to do so, but a skeleton knight swoops in and rescues both Guts and Casca.

Rickert, one of the only other surviving Hawks, nurses Guts wounds. He looks worse for wear as he’s missing an arm and an eye. Casca is physically unharmed, but she has amnesia and she’s reverted back to a childlike state. I’m not sure if this a form of PTSD, but I’ve never been a fan of the amnesia trope.

This whole experience leaves Guts disheartened. However, he knows he can’t let that stop him. He has unfinished business with Griffith and he intends to settle it once and for all.

The first half of this episode is really strong. It can also be hard to watch given Griffith spends most of that time with his hands all over Casca’s naked body. It’s unsettling, especially knowing how Guts feels about Casca. Guts chopping his arm off can also be a difficult thing to stomach. It’s a very tense moment and I really enjoy the atmosphere the first half builds.

The second half of the episode lulls a bit. It’s not bad, but I’ve already mentioned that I’m really not a fan of Casca getting amnesia. That trope usually strips a character of any personality, so I would rather it be avoided if possible. I will say that I like the fact that Guts is still determined to get his revenge on Griffith. He may be down, but he’s not out.