The third act of the Memorial Edition (Episodes 11-13) focuses entirely on the Eclipse. In the original 1997 anime, the Eclipse was shocking but visually limited by TV budget constraints. In the Memorial Edition, it is an unforgiving, R-rated hellscape.
The CGI allows for the "Count" (the God Hand member) to move with terrifying fluidity. The cascading blood, the writhing faces of the sacrificed Hawks, and the sexual assault of Casca (graphic as it is) are rendered with a nightmarish clarity that the manga panel can only imply through still images. The Memorial Edition does not flinch. It forces you to watch, which is precisely the point Miura intended.
It is impossible to discuss this release without comparing it to the 1997 TV series.
The remnants of the Hawks flee through a blizzard, heading for the safety of Midland’s capital. On the road, they find an old, mysterious trinket—the Crimson Beherit. It is Griffith’s beherit, a "demon's egg." As Griffith touches it, the sky turns blood red, and a vortex opens.
This is the Eclipse. The entire band is dragged into a hellish, alien dimension populated by hideous demons. A massive, heart-like structure with faces screaming in agony rises from the ground. berserk the golden age arc memorial edition
From the darkness descends the God Hand: five god-like demons who oversee the laws of causality. Their leader, Void, explains: Griffith is the "Chosen One." His suffering has reached its peak, and now he must choose. He can remain a cripple, or he can sacrifice that which he loves most to be reborn as a demon lord—the fifth angel of the God Hand, Femto.
The sacrifice required is the Band of the Hawk. Griffith’s dream is to be reborn. His "friends" are the price.
With a chilling, silent nod, Griffith accepts. The Crimson Beherit awakens, becoming a shrieking vortex. A brand appears on Griffith’s neck, then on every member of the Hawks. The brand marks them as sacrifices.
The Feast: The apostles—the very monsters Guts has fought his whole life—descend upon the Hawks. What follows is an orgy of unspeakable violence. Men are ripped apart, women are violated by monsters, and the entire band is butchered. Guts fights with impossible fury, cutting down apostle after apostle, but he is overwhelmed. An apostle bites off his left arm. The third act of the Memorial Edition (Episodes
He drags his shattered body and an unconscious Casca towards Griffith, screaming for him to stop. But Griffith, now reborn as the beautiful, winged demon Femto, floats down. In the most horrific act of the story, Femto—using Griffith’s human body and memories—rapes Casca right in front of the helpless Guts. The act is not one of lust, but of pure, absolute evil: a final, ultimate violation to break Guts’ spirit.
Guts, in a frenzy of rage and despair, hacks off his own pinned arm to try and save her. He fails. A demon grabs his remaining arm, and an apostle named The Count prepares to crush his skull.
At that moment, the Skull Knight—a mysterious, skeletal warrior in black armor—bursts into the Eclipse. He saves Guts and Casca, cutting a hole in reality and throwing them through. As they escape, Guts looks back to see Femto standing over the mutilated, weeping Casca, staring back with cold, godlike indifference.
The Eclipse ends. The God Hand and apostles vanish into the abyss. Guts and Casca land in a forest, battered beyond recognition. Guts is missing an arm and an eye. Casca, violated and traumatized, has lost her mind. She cannot speak, cannot recognize Guts, and can only stare blankly. And on Guts’ neck is the Brand of Sacrifice—a curse that will attract demons to him every single night for the rest of his life. The remnants of the Hawks flee through a
The Memorial Edition marketed itself on restoring "lost scenes" from the manga. It delivers, to an extent.
While the core footage is largely the same as the films, the Memorial Edition introduces several significant changes:
| Aspect | Original Films | Memorial Edition | |--------|----------------|------------------| | Format | 3 films (~70–90 min each) | 13 TV episodes (~24 min each) | | Deleted scenes | Some manga moments omitted | Restored key scenes (e.g., Bonfire of Dreams, Guts’ childhood flashbacks) | | New animation | None | Added cuts, especially in action sequences | | Voice acting | Original cast | Re-recorded lines; some recasts (e.g., young Guts) | | Opening/Ending | Film songs | New OP (“Aria” by Susumu Hirasawa) + ED (“Wish” by Mika Nakashima) | | Censorship | Theatrical violence/gore | Toned down for TV broadcast (later uncensored in home video) |
Note: The Memorial Edition does not include the infamous Eclipse scene in full, uncut detail — though it remains harrowing, some visual content is softened compared to the films.
"Berserk — The Golden Age Arc Memorial Edition" is a deluxe, commemorative release centered on the pivotal Golden Age storyline from Kentaro Miura’s dark fantasy epic, Berserk. This edition compiles the manga volumes and/or film adaptations tied to Guts’ formative years — his rise with the Band of the Hawk, the forging of his bond with Griffith and Casca, and the catastrophic Eclipse that reshapes the world. The Memorial Edition aims to honor Miura’s legacy with enhanced production values, supplementary materials, and archival restoration.
| -60 | -10 | +10 | +60 |