I read a lot of people say that the Eclipse is the single most disturbing moment in Anime history.
I have read and watched all the iterations of Berserk but the Eclipse was ruined for me before i saw it for the first time so the shock was lost. How much impact did it have for a first time watcher/reader?
I got more out of other Anime, such as devilman cry baby and Full metal alchemist
endings since i had no knowledge of them going in.
Fucked my shit up. I mean obviously I knew some bad shit was gonna go down, just not to that extent. The rape scene is especially shocking because it comes off as rather grautuitous at first, and goes on for so fucking long. I mean not as long as the rape scene in the movie Irréversible, but still.
after the negro raped guts in the start of the manga i dropped it for a few months. When i started reading it again i didnt even flinch at anything, i think thats about when i lost my innocence
It was refreshing.I wish mangakas had more fucking balls and just did what they wanted instead of pandering to their audiences
The whole rape as a child thing is more disturbing than the Eclipse, i also felt that i didnt give a shit about the characters yet by the time it happened i only liked Guts the band of the hawk are just jobbers.
The rape is the most disturbing part by far, its very graphic and the themes are more disturbing than the imagery for me.
Thing about berserk is its so fantastical that i lose some of my disgust, the designs are so cool and world so interesting and bizarre it feels more fantasy than reality and some impact is less. Its like a dream world.
>How much impact did it have for a first time watcher/reader?
My first exposure to Berserk was the 1997 anime; the eclipse was spoiled for me, as well, but - contrary to your experience - knowing it was coming actually enhanced my viewing experience (not so much of the eclipse itself, but of the entire show). The whole golden age ark felt like a Shakespearean tragedy (literally, it felt like I was watching McBeth); you know its all going to end horribly, so that makes getting there all the more engaging.
I tend to like to know if something horrible is going to happen. Maybe I am a baby.
Usually you can gather enough talk from looking around about a show to at least know if it is depressing.
The whole experience was amazing, and the Eclipse was great if not depressing but i never felt disgusted or disturbed.
Watching it multiple times does make it more engaging, and there are so many things you understand and see how the story unfolds better.
I knew there was rape and betrayal, what got me was just how violent everyone's death was, and trying to sympathize with a man who is witnessing everyone he cares about raped or mutilated by his best friends decision.
Black Swordsmen arc sort of desensitized me for the most part though.
It didn't really hit me until Judeau died
Didn't see it coming watching the 97 Anime and fucked my head up for days after, I got really emotionally invested in the characters so it hit really hard. Griffith was my bro so it hurt seeing his character turn into a monster.
Had to read the manga after.
I honestly dont see how anyone could like Griffith at any point, i always thought he was a monster from the beginning.
The band of the Hawk are his property not his friends, guts is just a tool he used to forge his way to rule.
He was a pychopath.
It really works when you read it from the beginning, if not at least the previous chapters highlighted the all the major members of the Band of the Hawk so their deads feel even more tragic.
What really breaks my heart is the episode after the eclipse where Guts finds that Casca lost her mind and the realization that everyone he knew is dead and now he will be hounted for the rest of his life.
Yeah the change in his expression from relief that Casca is alive to horror when he realizes she's an empty shell really got me.
Such an incredible and cathartic chapter.
We still don't know his true motives,his childhood must have been truly shitty
Eh. He was a visionary leader with a higher destiny. That's not a role for normal people.
I really liked Griffith, he was ambitious and ruthless for sure, but he cared about his men, and was more likeable than the nobility for example.
He was broken and corrupted by the God Hand, though can see the viewpoint that he was evil all along as well, or that he certainly had the capacity to be evil.
I get the impression he was born evil like a product of the godhand he was weaved to be this evil manipulated person.
Griffith is literally the anti-christ.
He didnt care about his men, he knew how to manipulate them to work harder for him.
I am sure there is a scene where he is discussing how if you feed a dog they will always be loyal, or something along them lines.
Everything he does is for his selfish gain, he is only ever nice because it will help his lust for power.
At first it was shocking but it just kept going and getting worse and worse. Fucked my shit up.
Well you can't argue that he doesn't care about guts, he puts his life on the line for guts on several occasions.
>>he cared about his men
You care about your pets but you know that they'll never be on your level, and if they ever where to outgrow you they would defy you. This is the relationship between Griffith and Guts(who realizes this too late)
Griffith is literally in love with Guts bro.
With Guts, not the Band of the Hawk.
I think many people saying "didnt see it coming" where teenagers when reading it. as an adult, I saw it coming. don´t get me wrong, it´s a really well done story, the eclipse even if its predictable, is still imrpesive... but as I said its predictable and it´s Miura´s fault for presenting you Femto long before the golden age arc, you know in the momment Griffith is presented as a teen he´s gonna do something bad an by the momment he talks about his dream and bechi is presented you know hes gonna sacrifice them
Stuff in vinland saga and snk is less predictable to be fair. yet people put beserk in a pedestal simply because it was first.
Griffith to Guts is literally Ryo to Akira.
Its probably the only time I've ever gotten legitimately anger about piece of manga/anime. It was very powerful and I don't really follow Berserk anymore because of it.
It made Griffith's bitch slap much more satisfying
Honestly I thought it was more impactful the second time when I was reading the manga (first I watched the 97' anime). I think it's because of the sense of inevitability. I also liked how Skull Knight made that feeling even more intense since he was there to tell Guts that something was going to happen.
Yeah they were just pawns to him, but when he is giving the speech about a friend being his equal I think the only person he sees in that way is Guts.
And Guts misunderstands and leaves which is the trigger for everything lol.
The Devilman influences are pretty blatant.
...
It definitely is predictable, but i think that plays to it's favour. What's predictable is that his companions will die, and guts will get cursed. What isn,t predictable is how it actually happens and the sheer horror of it all.
>I think many people saying "didnt see it coming" where teenagers when reading it
It's impossible to miss the build-up to the eclipse especially since it was already established that the golden age is a flashback. Most people who went in blind definitely saw it coming they just didn't know it was rape.
Right, it also helps that the closer the characters get to happiness you keep wondering how and when it'll all go to shit.
>It definitely is predictable,
It's supposed to be predictable more than any other story that uses the theme of fate Berserk actually feels like the universe is conspiring against Guts happiness
So, when Guts threw the guards down the stairs so he could see Griffith after the Zodd fight, did he toss them a couple of kilometers? They are never seen again
Post the page
rolled all the way to hell
I might be wrong but I think you can see them on the page when he leaves