The deep appeal and evaluation of Berserk Golden Age Arc MEMORIAL EDITION

Berserk Golden Age Arc MEMORIAL EDITION - The return of a profound dark fantasy

"Berserk Golden Age Arc MEMORIAL EDITION", which aired from October 2 to December 25, 2022, is a TV series that revives the film trilogy depicting the golden age of the timeless dark fantasy "Berserk" by Kentaro Miura, with the addition of new scenes. This MEMORIAL EDITION adds new scenes such as the popular scene "The Bonfire of Dreams" from the original work, and remasters existing cuts to create a deeper story.

story

Guts, a man who has lived a solitary life believing only in his own sword, meets a noble man, Griffith, on the battlefield. Griffith, who harbors great ambitions in his heart, defeats Guts in a duel and recruits him into his mercenary group, the Band of the Hawk. With Guts as their powerful fighting force, the Band of the Hawk overcomes many fierce battles and rises to the ranks of the regular army of the Kingdom of Midland. However, for Griffith, this was just one step towards the heights he aims for. Meanwhile, Guts begins to feel that his bond with Griffith is irreplaceable, but one night he overhears Griffith talking about his dreams and friends. Having met and crossed paths on a turbulent earth, Guts, Griffith, and the members of the Band of the Hawk soon hear the footsteps of a terrifying destiny beyond human comprehension.

Commentary

"Berserk: The Golden Age Arc" is based on the film trilogy released from 2012 to 2013. This MEMORIAL EDITION adds new scenes, such as the popular "Bonfire of Dreams" scene from the original work, and has been newly drawn under the direction of chief animation director Onda Naoyuki. In addition, new music has been provided by Hirasawa Susumu and Sagisu Shiro as background music. Hundreds of existing scenes have been reworked, mainly 3DCG images, and have been upgraded as remasters. The opening theme remains the same as the film version, with Hirasawa Susumu's "Aria," and the ending theme is Nakashima Mika's ballad "Wish," bringing out new appeal as a TV series.

cast

The cast includes Hiroaki Iwanaga as Guts, Takahiro Sakurai as Griffith, Toa Yukinari as Casca, Yuki Kaji as Judau, Minako Kotobuki as Rickert, Takahiro Fujiwara as Pippin, Yoshiro Matsumoto as Corcas, Kazuki Yao as Gaston, Aki Toyosaki as Charlotte, Kenta Miyake as Zod, Ennosuke Katsube as King Midland, Rikiya Koyama as Julius, Kazuki Yao as Genon, Takayuki Sugo as Boskone, Rikiya Koyama as Adon, Yoshitada Otsuka as Laban, Kendo Kobayashi as Bazuso, and Maki Mizuma as Adonis.

Main Staff

The original work is by Kentaro Miura, the director of MEMORIAL EDITION is Yuta Sano, the director of the movie is Toshiyuki Kubooka, the script and general script supervision of MEMORIAL EDITION is Ichiro Okouchi, the character design and general animation director is Naoyuki Onda, the animation director is Satoshi Iwataki, the art directors are Gouki Nakamura, Yusuke Takeda, and Norifumi Shinbayashi, the animation inspection is by Mutsuko Kajitani and Yukari Kari, the color design is Kumiko Naruke, the CGI directors are Takayuki Kusagi, Yusuke Hirota, Akiko Saito, and Chiaki Imanaka, the editor is Kengo Shigemura, the sound design is Koji Kasamatsu, the music is Shiro Sagisu, the animation production is by STUDIO4℃, and the production is by BERSERK FILM PARTNERS (Aniplex, Hakusensha, VAP, Beyond C., KDDI, Movic, Yahoo! Japan, Good Smile Company, Rialto Entertainment).

Main Characters

Guts is a swordsman who wields an extraordinary sword. After killing his adoptive father and being chased by the mercenary group where he spent his childhood, he lives alone on the battlefield, trusting only his own sword skills. He meets Griffith, joins the Band of the Hawk, and becomes the leader of the assault squad. Griffith is the leader of the Band of the Hawk, with a noble spirit and great dreams, and his personality, which is a combination of innocence and ruthlessness, gives him a charismatic personality that attracts people. Casca is the only woman in the Band of the Hawk and a captain of a thousand men. She was attacked by a nobleman as a child and was saved by Griffith, and applied to join the band. Judo is the captain of a thousand men of the Band of the Hawk, and is also a strategist, and is very concerned about the members of the band. Rickert is a young soldier with a friendly and pure personality, and although his fighting ability is still limited, he has a strong sense of warriorhood. Pippin is the commander of the Band of the Hawk, and swings his mace with his powerful arm. Carcus is also the commander of the Band of the Hawk, and does not easily accept Guts, as he lost his own subordinates when he first got involved with Guts. Gaston is the vice-captain of the Band of the Hawk's assault squad, and respects and admires Guts, the assault squad's commander.

subtitle

Episode 1 "Golden Age" (October 2, 2022), Episode 2 "Immortal Zodd" (October 9, 2022), Episode 3 "Master of the Sword" (October 16, 2022), Episode 4 "Desperate Journey" (October 23, 2022), Episode 5 "Bonfire of Dreams" (October 30, 2022), Episode 6 "Doldrey "Strike Battle" (November 6, 2022), Episode 7 "On a Snowy Night..." (November 13, 2022), Episode 8 "The End of the Dream" (November 20, 2022), Episode 9 "Scar" (November 27, 2022), Episode 10 "Reopening of the Abyss" (December 4, 2022), Episode 11 "Eclipse" (December 11, 2022), Episode 12 "Storm of Death" (December 18, 2022), Episode 13 "Oath of Counterattack" (December 25, 2022)

Related Titles

"Berserk Golden Age Arc 1-3", "Berserk TV Broadcast Edition (Season 1-2)"

Theme songs and music

The opening theme "Aria" was written, composed, arranged and sung by Susumu Hirasawa. The ending theme "Wish" was written by Mika Nakashima, composed by PENGUINS, Itsuka, Tatsumi Goda, Gakushi Ogi, MiRai and Ryo Ito, arranged by Tohmiyo and sung by Mika Nakashima. The other ending theme "Mirage with Shiro SAGISU" was written by Mika Nakashima, composed and arranged by Sagisu Shiro and sung by Mika Nakashima.

Broadcast information

"Berserk Golden Age Arc MEMORIAL EDITION" was broadcast on TOKYO MX, BS11, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, BS11, and Animax. The broadcast period is from October 2 to December 25, 2022, and it consists of 13 episodes. The broadcast time is from 0:30 to 1:00 every Sunday, and the uncensored original version was broadcast on Animax from October 16, 2022 to January 15, 2023 every Sunday from 23:00 to 23:30. In addition, it was available for online streaming on ABEMA, d Anime Store, d Anime Store for Prime Video, U-NEXT, Animehodai, Netflix, WOWOW On Demand, Hikari TV, GYAO!, FOD, Bandai Channel, Hulu, au Smart Pass Premium, J:COM On Demand Mega Pack, TELASA (unlimited viewing plan), and milplus. There are two types, the broadcast edit version and the uncensored original version, which differ depending on the broadcast and distribution.

Evaluation and Impressions

"Berserk Golden Age Arc MEMORIAL EDITION" carefully depicts the profound worldview and character emotions of the original work, making it an emotional reunion for fans. The addition of new scenes and remastering of existing cuts further enhances the appeal of the story. In particular, the "Bonfire of Dreams" scene is a famous scene that fans of the original work cannot watch without crying, and the high level of reproduction was moving. In addition, the new soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa and Shiro Sagisu is an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. The opening theme "Aria" and the ending themes "Wish" and "Mirage with Shiro SAGISU" also match the worldview of the work and strongly attracted the hearts of viewers.

The voice actors were also excellent, especially Hiroaki Iwanaga as Guts and Takahiro Sakurai as Griffith, who expressed the inner thoughts of their characters deeply. Toa Yukinari as Casca also perfectly portrayed Casca's strength and fragility. Yuki Kaji as Judau, Minako Kotobuki as Rickert, Takahiro Fujiwara as Pippin, Yoshiro Matsumoto as Corcas, Kazuki Yao as Gaston, Aki Toyosaki as Charlotte, Kenta Miyake as Zod, Ennosuke Katsube as King Midland, Rikiya Koyama as Julius, Kazuki Yao as Genon, Takayuki Sugo as Boskone, Rikiya Koyama as Adon, Yoshitada Ootsuka as Laban, Kendo Kobayashi as Bazuso, and Maki Mizuma as Adonis also brought their characters to life.

The efforts of the staff are also outstanding, and the quality of the work has been greatly improved by the remastering work, which involved newly drawn scenes under the direction of chief animation director Onda Naoyuki, and hundreds of cuts, mainly 3DCG footage. This MEMORIAL EDITION was made possible thanks to the efforts of director Sano Yuta, screenwriter Okouchi Ichiro, art directors Nakamura Gouki, Takeda Yusuke, and Shinbayashi Nobufumi, animation inspectors Kajitani Mutsuko and Kari Yukari, color designer Naruke Kumiko, CGI directors Kusagi Takayuki, Hirota Yusuke, Saito Akiko, and Imanaka Chiaki, editor Shigemura Kengo, sound designer Kasamatsu Hiroji, music composer Sagisu Shiro, animation production by STUDIO4℃, and production company BERSERK FILM PARTNERS.

Recommendation

"Berserk Golden Age Arc MEMORIAL EDITION" is highly recommended not only for fans of the original work, but also for those experiencing the world of "Berserk" for the first time. This work, which brings together the profound dark fantasy worldview, the portrayal of the characters' feelings, the addition of new scenes and improved quality through remastering, and the efforts of a luxurious cast of voice actors and staff, is sure to give viewers a strong sense of emotion and excitement. Be sure to experience the golden age of "Berserk" through this MEMORIAL EDITION.