Warning: Spoilers for Berserk: The Golden Age - Memorial Edition episode 9A new Berserk series that adapts Studio 4°C's Golden Age film trilogy actually just topped the original anime by including one controversial scene from the manga that had never received an adaptation before.
Until now, it was unlikely that the ongoing Berserk: The Golden Age - Memorial Edition could top the original 1997 anime in any way. Even though the Memorial Edition had already added never-before-seen footage, they either appeared in the original anime and paled in comparison, like Berserk's bonfire of dreams scene, or were wholly proprietary to Studio 4°C's rendition and were actually detrimental to the original story.
But episode nine of the Memorial Edition called "Wounds" contains a critical scene from the manga that even the original 1997 anime skipped. The moment takes place when Guts and Casca consummate their relationship. Unfortunately, Guts is haunted by a memory of when he was assaulted as a boy, causing him to lash out violently against Berserk's heroine, Casca. Although he later divulges what happened to him, Guts is so disgusted by his reaction that he distances himself from Casca. But Casca accepts him, wounds and all, and embraces the haunted warrior.
This Scene Defines Guts and Casca's Relationship in Berserk
The fact that the title of the episode already shares the name of the manga chapter that the Memorial Edition adapted was a positive sign. But the scene is truly a faithful recreation of the manga. It's understandable why the original 1997 anime skipped the scene. The show was already controversial for the gratuitous violence that it incorporated. But for viewers to truly comprehend the nuances of Guts and Casca's relationship, it was crucial for the original anime and Studio 4°C's movie trilogy to capture the full moment as mangaka Kentaro Miura intended it to be.
Unfortunately, only manga readers knew just how deep Guts and Casca's bond truly was. So only they could appreciate the full extent of Guts' rage when Griffith betrayed them and the utter helplessness Guts felt when Casca lost her mind. Even without this scene, fans can still recognize how important Casca is to Guts and understand how Guts is affected by everything that happens to her. But what the Memorial Edition captures is that Casca truly accepts all of Guts - his horrific past that will haunt him for the rest of his life and even the fact that he attacked her when she was at her most vulnerable, even after she gave herself freely to him in a manner that she had never done before while trusting him complicity that he would keep her safe. Guts had never been so low as he was in that moment, and yet, she's okay with it and is willing to share those wounds with him. All of this had been lost to non-manga readers until now. Moreover, Guts willing to separate himself from her and take ability for his actions is also incredibly powerful, showing just how much he respects and loves her.
Right from the horrified look on Guts' face upon realizing what he'd done to Casca licking the wound she inflicted on Guts, the Memorial Edition achieved something no one expected. It made up for the egregious use of CGI and the many other unwise creative choices that were made during the course of Studio 4°C's two Berserk projects - which goes to show the overall importance and power of Guts and Casca's love in Miura's masterpiece.
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition is streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll!
