Ooh, here we go friends! It’s time for one of Berserk’s most iconic sections!
Today, we’re covering:
- Cracks in the Blade
- A Feeble Flame
Heeding the Demon Infant’s warning, Guts rushes back to Godo’s home to check on Casca. Upon returning, he doesn’t find what’s left of his only love. Rather, he is faced with the consequences of his actions. Only one question remains: what will he do now?
The opening of this section is so damn strong. We rejoin Erica in the snow, diligently chopping firewood. Then Puck flies along and she catches him. It’s cute, it’s innocent, and it’s delightful. But then Erica flinches.
Because she sees him.
This is such a brilliant way for these characters to reunite. Guts has become so monstrous and intimidating that Erica can’t even recognize him at first. It isn’t until he speaks that she realizes who he is. All of that is beautifully conveyed by the artwork, which gives us one of the creepiest Guts panels, as well as one of the most striking images period, in the whole manga!
Following this is the reunion with Rickert. Thus begins the section I like to call: “Everyone calls Guts out for his bullshit.”
Initially, Guts is furious with Rickert for Casca’s disappearance. But when Erica turns her sobs and frustration to him, he falls deadly silence. Guts, the Black Swordsman, slayer of monsters beyond even the worst of human nightmares, is left utterly speechless by this little girl.
Because she’s right. Rickert may not have found Casca. But at least he didn’t leave her. Nor did he leave Erica or Godo.
Speaking of whom, let’s get into the real meat and potatoes!
Climbing the steps into the attic, Guts finds Godo laying in bed, dying of old age. Unlike the king of Midland, however, Godo is perfectly content in the face of his impending demise. He even keeps professional, demanding to see the Dragon Slayer and Guts’ arm.
Upon seeing them, Godo launches into a genuinely scathing speech about Guts. How he has become obsessed with his vengeance and how it will slowly destroy him. Guts tries to defend himself, tries to explain to Godo just how horrific the Eclipse actually was, how all the people Guts cared about came to an abrupt end without even knowing why.
But Godo isn’t having it. He uses Guts’ defense against him. If he cared so much for the Hawks, why did he abandon Casca? Why did he leave Rickert behind? It wasn’t because he was angry. It’s because he was afraid of facing his grief, and violence was the only way he saw out of it.
In ‘A Feeble Flame’, we see what Rickert has been up to while Guts has been away. While practicing to be a blacksmith, he’s made dozens of swords. In honor of the fallen Hawks, he’s turned them into grave stones. While Guts was away wallowing in vengeance, Rickert tried to move on. Tried to heal.
And in doing so accidentally setup what will be one of the coolest fights in the series. But we’ll get to that in due time.
Finally, after a long day of reunions and lectures, Guts settles down in the cave alone to sleep. But even now, in a moment of pure safety and serenity, he can’t. How could he sleep at night, after all the years he spent out in the darkness.
In this moment, alone with the dark, we finally see just how deeply the Eclipse truly affected Guts. It’s seared into his right eye, haunting him every waking moment of every day. He can’t ever forget it, can’t ever escape it.
Especially not after what it created inside him.
The Beast of Darkness is such a terrifying concept. It’s no demon, but Guts himself. All his worst impulses, all his darkest desires, every bit of evil we’ve seen that he’s capable of creating, are made manifest in the beast. If Puck is the angel on his shoulder, then the Beast is the devil.
And I don’t know if you noticed, but it is much, much larger than our favorite elf.
Alone with only the company of his inner demon, Guts reflects on his life. His days with the Hawks, good and bad. How even now, all these years later, he still feels the warmth from those happiest days, though they’re now nothing more than memories.
Then he realizes it: he did it again. Just as when he left the Hawks the first time, he did it all over again. He repeated the same mistake that led to the Eclipse in the first place.
But it isn’t too late. He still has a chance. And he’s determined not to waste it.
This is such an amazing moment. Up to this point in Conviction, we’ve seen Guts at his absolute lowest. The man has done some horrific things and sunk deeper and deeper into darkness.
In this moment, his redemption arc begins. He is literally stepping out of the darkness and into the light!
Just compare this to that first panel. In that one, he was wreathed in darkness, his single eye gleaming menacingly. Here, he’s bathed in light. Before, he was clad in his armor and armed to the teeth. Now, he’s literally disarmed and exposed, baring his heart and finally allowing himself to be vulnerable. For the first time in years, he’s facing his future with his head held high, full of determination.
Miura even inverted his eye. Before it was white. And now it’s black. Does that have any significance or deeper meaning? I dunno. But it looks cool!
These two chapters are among the best of Berserk. No action, no gore, no horror. Just characters baring their hearts to each other and facing their demons. It’s genuinely beautiful.
And now it’s time to dive head-first into some of the most horrifying shit in all of Berserk. Hooray!
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