Berserk review of sorts
Yes, I know this is an old anime (released in 1997) but I've just finished watching it today and I feel the need to squee because the BL is so overtly implied that it's not implied anymore. It's CANON OKAY. it's a classic for a reason.
See the guy on the right? That's Guts, the main character of this story who has been living from battle to battle, just fighting to survive until he met the guy on the left, Griffith. Griffith is the leader of Band of Hawks, a mercenary army of sorts. Impressed by what Guts prowess in a battle he was a part of one day (OR PERHAPS IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT), he asked Guts to join Band of Hawks later (after Guts killed a few of his people. To be fair, they attacked first and then Griffith sent his second in command Caska to save his people's hides but she was defeated so he stepped in and fought Guts and beat him soundly, and then kept Guts in his camp so Guts can recover from his injuries). Guts said no so obviously the best way to get Guts is to challenge him to a duel. If Griffith wins, Guts is his. If Guts wins, Guts gets to leave.
Griffith won and so Guts became his.
They grew closer after a while. Close enough to have a water fight (and have naked SRS TALKS ABOUT DREAMS). Also, please look at the necklace Griffith is wearing. The red seed-like thing is called a Behelit and it is apparently a good luck charm. This item will become important later.
For three years Guts fought for Griffith's dream to make a kingdom of his own. Band of Hawks become even more famous for being invincible in battles. With Guts as the commander of the raiders and Caska as the other commander, they were a force to be reckoned with. With all their victories, Griffith managed to get promoted to the status of nobility (they fought for a single kingdom for a while).
But because Griffith was of common birth, the nobles at court weren't too happy with his promotion and victories. So naturally, they plotted to have him killed... and I'm getting lazy to summarize the series. It's all on wikipedia anyway.
I'll now FOCUS ON THIS THING THAT MADE ME SQUEE SO MUCH.
Griffith's relationship with Guts!
According to Caska, Griffith has never said that he wanted someone in his Band of Hawks. He expressly said that he wanted Guts and Caska had been envious of that for a while. Oh right, this is Caska:
She's a pretty amazing woman but I feel that the series had been rather unfair to her and ... issues. with treatment of women. aaah but I guess it's high fantasy and that era. Women weren't treated very well overall then. I'd have preferred her dead but that in the last episode though. It makes more sense to me. Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the topic!
Caska knew that Griffith is not as strong as he portrayed himself to be and knew that Griffith trusts Guts a lot. It's too bad Guts did not notice that and thought that he had to leave on this journey of self-discovery to find his OWN dream so that he can be equal to Griffith and be his true friend. Griffith wanted Guts by his side so he was gutted when Guts left the group. He could not even stop Guts from leaving as he lost the duel this time around. Devastated, he seeked comfort in the arms of the princess of that kingdom who loves him while thinking about Guts leaving him forever. A servant overheard their admittedly noisy sex and reported it so when Griffith left the princess's chambers, he was caught and thrown into the dungeon. The Band of Hawks were ambushed and all their efforts went down the drain as their status immediately fell from nobility to fugitives.
One whole year Griffith suffered under the hands of an expert in torture. He had his tongue cut off, the nerves on his hands and the back of his legs severed so that he could not walk, nor could he wield a sword. He was burnt, stabbed repeatedly and that was just the snippets the anime allowed us to see. All because that one night he spent with the princess, despairing over Guts so I guess we can blame Guts. =/
In his monologues, he mentioned that Guts was the only person ever to have made him stray from his dreams. When Guts found out what happened, he joined the rescue team of the remaining mobile members of the Band of Hawks. When he found Griffith in the dungeons, he went into this berserker rage and killed all the enemy soldiers. This part was extremely painful to watch because what was done to Griffith was irreversible with normal means and he would not have wanted to be seem that way by his Band of Hawks, probably.
He tried to take his own life later but failed. That was when the Behelit activated. Turns out Griffith was the prime candidate to be the Maou and due to the hopelessness of the situation Griffith is in, he accepted the terms given to be remade into one of the demons and sacrificed all of his companions in the Band of Hawks. Everyone died except for Caska, whom he raped after he transformed and Guts, who was too stubborn to die.
...
I wanted to CLIFF EVERYONE. but ah, I couldn't stop watching once I've started two days ago.
Let's end it on a more positive note. ._.
/SHIPS THIS FOREVER.
See the guy on the right? That's Guts, the main character of this story who has been living from battle to battle, just fighting to survive until he met the guy on the left, Griffith. Griffith is the leader of Band of Hawks, a mercenary army of sorts. Impressed by what Guts prowess in a battle he was a part of one day (OR PERHAPS IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT), he asked Guts to join Band of Hawks later (after Guts killed a few of his people. To be fair, they attacked first and then Griffith sent his second in command Caska to save his people's hides but she was defeated so he stepped in and fought Guts and beat him soundly, and then kept Guts in his camp so Guts can recover from his injuries). Guts said no so obviously the best way to get Guts is to challenge him to a duel. If Griffith wins, Guts is his. If Guts wins, Guts gets to leave.
Griffith won and so Guts became his.
They grew closer after a while. Close enough to have a water fight (and have naked SRS TALKS ABOUT DREAMS). Also, please look at the necklace Griffith is wearing. The red seed-like thing is called a Behelit and it is apparently a good luck charm. This item will become important later.
For three years Guts fought for Griffith's dream to make a kingdom of his own. Band of Hawks become even more famous for being invincible in battles. With Guts as the commander of the raiders and Caska as the other commander, they were a force to be reckoned with. With all their victories, Griffith managed to get promoted to the status of nobility (they fought for a single kingdom for a while).
But because Griffith was of common birth, the nobles at court weren't too happy with his promotion and victories. So naturally, they plotted to have him killed... and I'm getting lazy to summarize the series. It's all on wikipedia anyway.
I'll now FOCUS ON THIS THING THAT MADE ME SQUEE SO MUCH.
Griffith's relationship with Guts!
According to Caska, Griffith has never said that he wanted someone in his Band of Hawks. He expressly said that he wanted Guts and Caska had been envious of that for a while. Oh right, this is Caska:
She's a pretty amazing woman but I feel that the series had been rather unfair to her and ... issues. with treatment of women. aaah but I guess it's high fantasy and that era. Women weren't treated very well overall then. I'd have preferred her dead but that in the last episode though. It makes more sense to me. Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to the topic!
Caska knew that Griffith is not as strong as he portrayed himself to be and knew that Griffith trusts Guts a lot. It's too bad Guts did not notice that and thought that he had to leave on this journey of self-discovery to find his OWN dream so that he can be equal to Griffith and be his true friend. Griffith wanted Guts by his side so he was gutted when Guts left the group. He could not even stop Guts from leaving as he lost the duel this time around. Devastated, he seeked comfort in the arms of the princess of that kingdom who loves him while thinking about Guts leaving him forever. A servant overheard their admittedly noisy sex and reported it so when Griffith left the princess's chambers, he was caught and thrown into the dungeon. The Band of Hawks were ambushed and all their efforts went down the drain as their status immediately fell from nobility to fugitives.
One whole year Griffith suffered under the hands of an expert in torture. He had his tongue cut off, the nerves on his hands and the back of his legs severed so that he could not walk, nor could he wield a sword. He was burnt, stabbed repeatedly and that was just the snippets the anime allowed us to see. All because that one night he spent with the princess, despairing over Guts so I guess we can blame Guts. =/
In his monologues, he mentioned that Guts was the only person ever to have made him stray from his dreams. When Guts found out what happened, he joined the rescue team of the remaining mobile members of the Band of Hawks. When he found Griffith in the dungeons, he went into this berserker rage and killed all the enemy soldiers. This part was extremely painful to watch because what was done to Griffith was irreversible with normal means and he would not have wanted to be seem that way by his Band of Hawks, probably.
He tried to take his own life later but failed. That was when the Behelit activated. Turns out Griffith was the prime candidate to be the Maou and due to the hopelessness of the situation Griffith is in, he accepted the terms given to be remade into one of the demons and sacrificed all of his companions in the Band of Hawks. Everyone died except for Caska, whom he raped after he transformed and Guts, who was too stubborn to die.
...
I wanted to CLIFF EVERYONE. but ah, I couldn't stop watching once I've started two days ago.
Let's end it on a more positive note. ._.
/SHIPS THIS FOREVER.