This might be my favorite episode of the 1997 series. So many of Berserk's core themes are wrapped up in its conflict and denouement. It speaks to a fundamental yearning and ambition that all people possess in some capacity; the gnawing one feels in their heart when they must compromise their dream; and mustering the courage to sacrifice something in the pursuit of true fulfillment.
Crucial elements of Guts, Griffith, Casca, Corkus, and Judeau's characters are brought to the forefront and laid bare here. The heart-wrenching tragedy of this episode lies in Guts' inability to recognize his inherent value, paired with Griffith's hamartia of blazing ambition and entitlement. Guts needs to discover what he wishes to live for independently, unburdened by the yoke of others' dreams and expectations. Griffith, however, is essentially incapable of compromising anything he's already "won" or "conquered". He feels he'd be betraying the sacrifices he's made, as well as all the lives and dreams he's trampled in his climb towards his towering ambitions. In their duel, Guts - a man who'd been completely subservient to Griffith up to this point - shatters the weapon symbolizing everything Griffith had utilized to pursue his dream, while also stopping his strike short of connecting with his opponent, thereby giving him total control over Griffith's life in that moment. That one instant is absolutely loaded with subtext, as is most of the episode. Griffith's ensuing fall comes in a desperate attempt to grasp power, stemming from his inability to weather the torrent of emotions bombarding him from within.
This is the critical juncture of the Golden Age arc, foretold by Zodd years prior and set in motion even centuries before that. It doesn't get much better! 10/10.
Crucial elements of Guts, Griffith, Casca, Corkus, and Judeau's characters are brought to the forefront and laid bare here. The heart-wrenching tragedy of this episode lies in Guts' inability to recognize his inherent value, paired with Griffith's hamartia of blazing ambition and entitlement. Guts needs to discover what he wishes to live for independently, unburdened by the yoke of others' dreams and expectations. Griffith, however, is essentially incapable of compromising anything he's already "won" or "conquered". He feels he'd be betraying the sacrifices he's made, as well as all the lives and dreams he's trampled in his climb towards his towering ambitions. In their duel, Guts - a man who'd been completely subservient to Griffith up to this point - shatters the weapon symbolizing everything Griffith had utilized to pursue his dream, while also stopping his strike short of connecting with his opponent, thereby giving him total control over Griffith's life in that moment. That one instant is absolutely loaded with subtext, as is most of the episode. Griffith's ensuing fall comes in a desperate attempt to grasp power, stemming from his inability to weather the torrent of emotions bombarding him from within.
This is the critical juncture of the Golden Age arc, foretold by Zodd years prior and set in motion even centuries before that. It doesn't get much better! 10/10.
