Guts has an important epiphany...about himself.
"Epiphany" was a strong episode that went a long way in restoring my faith in Berserk. There was a good mix of action and character development, and it was great to see familiar faces return and new (terrifying) ones appear.
The show opened with Guts taking a timeout from battle to visit old friends and get his equipment repaired by the blacksmith, Godo. Godo's gruffness is a good counterweight to Guts' brusque demeanor, and I was happy to see him (and Erica!) immediately lay into Guts for abandoning Casca so he could keep fighting ("you went on alone, leaving the remaining irreplaceable people behind"). It's rare for Guts to acknowledge any type of weakness, but after Godo's lecture, even the Black Swordsman was forced to admit his quest for vengeance is really just a way to escape his guilty conscience.
Guts having nightmares.
There's a lot of guilt, too. The disturbing flashbacks of the Eclipse ritual and the eerie premonition about Casca (who went missing after wandering off) are proof that Guts is full of regret. The scene where he realized he can't sleep because he feels guilty and alone--as evidenced by visions of his friends accusing him of abandonment--was especially powerful. It's here I saw Guts finally start to grow as a person, which made his resolve to never again leave Casca's side all the more believable.
Speaking of Casca....poor Casca. At first I was glad she finally made an appearance, but that happiness quickly turned into sadness. It's hard to see this once proud warrior reduced to a catatonic state, though it's understandable given the terrible things that happened to her. Even still, it was a relief to see there's a spark of humanity left in her, if her addled attempt to help one of the poor fools who crossed Mozgus is any indication.
By the way, the Chief Inquisitor and his not-so-merry band of torturers might be some of the scariest characters in Berserk to date. Watching them decimate a group of villagers by ripping out their eyeballs and crushing their limbs was brutal stuff. (The CGI in "Epiphany" was admittedly pretty wobbly at times, but at least it wasn't too distracting, and the episode's pacing was solid.)
It's hard to imagine a more terrifying group than the God Hand, but these sanctimonious goons may very well give them a run for their money, especially Mozgus. I mean, what kind of sick, twisted individual uses a bible to bludgeon a man to death? Even the Holy Iron Chain Knights seemed scared of him. Well, except for Farnese, who quite enjoyed watching people get tortured. (I don't think I like her anymore.) Casca was darn lucky she didn't get herself killed helping that villager, although It's pretty clear from Guts' vision that she may not be out of the woods just yet.
The Verdict
"Epiphany" was a good pallet cleanser after "Night of Miracles." Despite some iffy CGI, the pacing was much improved, and we got to see Guts grow as a person. It also featured a good mix of old and new characters, deftly setting up a future confrontation between the followers of the Holy See and the Black Swordsman.
Editors' Choice
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