Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc (Japanese: ベルセルク 黄金時代篇, Hepburn: Beruseruku Ōgon Jidai-hen) is a Japanese anime film trilogy, which adapts Kentaro Miura's Berserk manga series's Golden Age arc, and was produced by Studio 4°C. The first two films, The Egg of the King and The Battle for Doldrey, were released in Japan in February and June 2012, and the third film, The Advent, was released in February 2013. In North America, Viz Media has licensed the trilogy for English home video release. A remastered edited version for television with new scenes, labeled as "Memorial Edition", was broadcast for 13 episodes from October to December 2022.
| Berserk: The Golden Age Arc | |
Theatrical release poster of Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King | |
| ベルセルク 黄金時代篇 (Beruseruku Ōgon Jidai-hen) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Anime film series | |
| |
| Directed by | Toshiyuki Kubooka |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Ichirō Ōkouchi |
| Music by | |
| Studio | Studio 4°C |
| Licensed by | |
| Released |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Anime television series | |
| Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition | |
| Directed by | Yuta Sano |
| Written by | Ichirō Ōkouchi |
| Music by |
|
| Studio | Studio 4°C |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, GYT, GTV, BS11 |
| Original run | October 2, 2022 – December 25, 2022 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Plot summary edit
The Egg of the King edit
A soldier named Guts attracts the attention of a mercenary group, The Band of the Hawk, when he kills an enemy champion during a siege. He is forced into joining the group after being defeated in single combat by its leader, Griffith. The Band of the Hawk are employed by the Kingdom of Midland for its Hundred Year War against the Tudor Empire, and Griffith rises in the kingdom's hierarchy after a successful battle. During another siege, Guts and Griffith encounter the demon Nosferatu Zodd, who notices the pendant around Griffith's neck and warns Guts that Griffith will be his doom. Griffith's rise in status is ill-received by Midland's noblemen, and there is a failed assassination attempt on Griffith by the king's brother, Julius. Griffith charges Guts with murdering Julius, and Guts also kills the noble's young son. Guts, emotionally scarred by his actions, overhears Griffith say that The Band of the Hawk are his comrades, but for people to be friends they must pursue their own dreams and not someone else's.
The Battle for Doldrey edit
Guts and Casca are separated from The Band of the Hawk, and fend off attacks by the Tudor's cruel commander Adon and his men. Guts defeats most of Adon's men while covering Casca's escape, but begins to lament his life's path and decides he will eventually leave the Band of the Hawk, find and pursue his own dream, and become a true friend to Griffith. Later, the Band of the Hawk participates in the battle to capture the impenetrable Fortress of Doldrey and end the Hundred Years War, wherein Casca kills Adon. A month after the war's end, Guts parts ways with Griffith after defeating him in a duel. Griffith is distraught at Guts' departure, and in a lapse of judgment he is caught sleeping with the king's daughter, Charlotte. Griffith is charged with treason and imprisoned in the Tower of Rebirth while the members of the Band of the Hawk are branded outlaws.
The Advent edit
A year after Guts' departure from the Band of the Hawk, he returns to aid them in freeing Griffith from the Tower of Rebirth. However, when they find Griffith he is barely alive, rendered mute, and physically withered after months of torture. Griffith attempts suicide, and his pendant reacts to his despair, opening a portal to another dimension experiencing a solar eclipse that draws in him and The Band of the Hawk. There, they encounter archdemons known as The God Hand and Griffith is told that his tribulations have been leading to this moment, when Griffith agrees to sacrifice his allies in exchange for being reborn as Femto, a member of the God Hand. The Band of the Hawk are slaughtered by the God Hand's monstrous Apostles (former humans like Nosferatu Zodd) and Femto rapes Casca. Guts loses his left arm and right eye trying to save Casca, but Casca loses her sanity from the nightmarish ordeal. Guts and Casca are spirited back to their world by the mysterious Skull Knight, who tells Guts he has been branded by the God Hand and will be subjected to nightly attacks by evil creatures. Guts leaves Casca under the care of former comrade Rickert and embarks on a journey to hunt down Apostles and the God Hand.
Voice cast edit
The Japanese voice cast features Hiroaki Iwanaga as Guts (replacing Nobutoshi Canna from the original anime), Takahiro Sakurai as Griffith (replacing Toshiyuki Morikawa), and Toa Yukinari as Casca (replacing Yūko Miyamura).[4][5] The English voice cast features Marc Diraison as Guts, Kevin T. Collins as Griffith, and Carrie Keranen as Casca, all reprising their roles from the original anime.[6]
| Band of the Hawk | Character | Japanese voice actor[7][8][9] | English dub actor[7][8][9] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guts | Hiroaki Iwanaga | Marc Diraison | |
| Griffith Griffith (young) | Takahiro Sakurai | Kevin T Collins | |
| Ayako Takeuchi | Barbara Goodson | ||
| Casca | Toa Yukinari | Carrie Keranen | |
| Judeau | Yuki Kaji | Christopher Kromer | |
| Rickert | Minako Kotobuki | Michelle Newman | |
| Corkus | Yoshiro Matsumoto | Doug Erholtz | |
| Pippin | Takahiro Fujiwara | Patrick Seitz | |
| Gaston | Kazuki Yao | Sean Schemmel | |
| Members of the Midland Court | King of Midland | Nobuyuki Katsube | Christopher Corey Smith |
| Princess Charlotte | Aki Toyosaki | Rachael Lillis (I) GK Bowes (II and III) | |
| Julius | Rikiya Koyama | Jesse Corti | |
| Adonis | Maki Mizuma | Colin DePaula | |
| Anna | Ayako Takeuchi | Lisa Ortiz | |
| Hassan | Hiroshi Arikawa | Michael Sorich | |
| Raban | Hochu Otsuka | Marc Thompson | |
| God Hand | Void | Shinji Ogawa | Jon Avner |
| Slan | Miyuki Sawashiro | Cindy Robinson | |
| Ubik | Chafurin | Liam O'Brien | |
| Conrad | Rikiya Koyama | Sean Schemmel | |
| Other adversaries/ Miscellaneous | Nosferatu Zodd | Kenta Miyake | J David Brimmer |
| Skull Knight | Akio Otsuka[10] | Jamieson Prince | |
| Bazuso | Kendo Kobayashi | David B Mitchell | |
| General Gien | Shingo Egami | Sean Schemmel | |
| Gennon | Kazuki Yao | Steve Kramer | |
| Adon | Rikiya Koyama | Mike Pollock | |
| Boscogn | Takayuki Sugo | TJ Storm | |
| Torturer | Chafurin | Liam O'Brien | |
| Silat | Yuichi Nakamura[10] | JB Blanc | |
| Erica | Ayana Kaketatsu[10] | Michele O'Medlin | |
| Old Fortuneteller | Guin-poon-chaw | Barbara Goodson |
Release edit
The project was first announced as a new anime project in September 2010 on a wraparound jacket band on volume 35 of the Berserk manga.[11] Berserk: Golden Age Arc I – The Egg of the King (ベルセルク 黄金時代篇I 覇王の卵, Beruseruku Ōgon Jidai-hen Wan Haō no Tamago) was released on February 4, 2012, in Japan.[12][13]
Berserk: Golden Age Arc II – The Battle for Doldrey (ベルセルク 黄金時代篇II ドルドレイ攻略, Beruseruku Ōgon Jidai-hen Tsū Dorudorei Koryaku) was released on June 23, 2012, in Japan.[14]
Berserk: Golden Age Arc III – The Advent (ベルセルク 黄金時代篇III 降臨, Beruseruku Ōgon Jidai-hen Surī Kōrin) was released on February 1, 2013, in Japan.[15]
In North America, Viz Media has licensed all three films for a home video release.[16] The Egg of the King was released on November 27, 2012;[17] The Battle for Doldrey was released on August 6, 2013;[18] and The Advent was released on April 15, 2014.[19] The Golden Age Arc has also been available for streaming on Netflix.[20]
In June 2022, it was announced that the trilogy would receive a television broadcast version, titled Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition (ベルセルク 黄金時代篇 MEMORIAL EDITION, Beruseruku Ōgon Jidai-hen Memoriaru Edishon).[21] The series was featured at the Aniplex Online Fest 2022, held on September 23, 2022.[22][23] It was directed by Yuta Sano and broadcast for 13 episodes on Tokyo MX, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, BS11 and other networks from October 2 to December 25, 2022.[24][25][26][27][a] It was streamed outside of Asia by Crunchyroll.[28][29][30]
Music edit
The soundtracks for the film series are composed and arranged by Shirō Sagisu, with the theme song composed and arranged by Susumu Hirasawa.[31] The insert song of all films, "Aria", is performed by Hirasawa,[32] a live performance (from Phonon 2555 Vision) is included on the home video releases of the second film, another live version is on the Nomonos and Imium DVD; the ending theme of the first film, "Beautiful Things" (ウツクシキモノ, Utsukushii Mono), is performed by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai (in an uncharacteristic epic ballad style) and composed by Rykeyz and Redd Styiez;[33][34] lastly, the ending theme of the third film, "Breakthrough", is performed by Kaname Kawabata of CHEMISTRY, written by Kawabata, Hidenori Tanaka and UTA, and arranged by Sagisu, Miho Hazama and CHOKKAKU.[35] A special TV program, narrated by Akio Otsuka (the voice actor for the Skull Knight), that summarized the events of the first two movies, used the Hirasawa song "Horde of Thistledown" (冠毛種子の大群, "Kanmō Shushi no Taigun") (from The Secret of the Flowers of Phenomenon) as its ending theme.[36]
The television broadcast version of the trilogy, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition, features an exclusive ending theme by Mika Nakashima, titled "Wish". It also features new music composed by Sagisu and Hirasawa.[37][38]
Reception edit
In Japan, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King brought in $594,707 with a gross of $1,348,352,[39] and the last film in the trilogy brought in less, with an opening weekend of $280,248 and grossing $399,445.[40]
Kotaku's Richard Eisenbeis panned the first two installments of the trilogy, but described the third installment, Berserk: Golden Age Arc III: Descent, as supreme and delivering an experience surpassing the original manga both in emotional turmoil and brutal violence.[41]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ Osmond, Andrew (February 6, 2017). "Berserk Movies and First TV Series Released Monday". Anime News Network. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Ransom, Ko (April 9, 2012). "Berserk Films to be Distributed in 16 Countries Globally". Anime News Network. from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ Marshall, Dallas (July 9, 2012). "Berserk: The Golden Arc - The Egg of the King". THEM Anime Reviews. from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Berserk Film Slated for Next January". Anime News Network. 5 July 2011. from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "2012 Berserk Film Trilogy's Main Cast, Staff Listed". Anime News Network. 24 August 2011. from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "Viz Media Debuts Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I on DVD & Blu-ray". Anime News Network. November 27, 2012. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ a b "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King". Behind the Voice Actors. from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
- ^ a b "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey". Behind The Voice Actors. from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ a b "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent". Behind The Voice Actors. from the original on 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ a b c Green, Scott. ""Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent" Cast Revealed". Crunchyroll. from the original on 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ "New Berserk Anime Project Launching (Updated)". Anime News Network. September 27, 2010. from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ Loo, Egan (July 12, 2011). "Berserk's Golden Age Arc to Be Made Into 3 Anime Films". Anime News Network. from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ Loo, Egan (November 1, 2011). "1st Berserk Film's Newest Trailer Streamed (Updated)". Anime News Network. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Ransom, Ko (February 20, 2012). "Berserk's 2nd Film Slated for June 23". Anime News Network. from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ Loo, Egan (November 16, 2012). "3rd Berserk Film's Full Trailer, Poster Unveiled". Anime News Network. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 7, 2012). "Viz Media Licenses Berserk Film Trilogy". Anime News Network. from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King". Viz Media. from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II - The Battle for Doldrey". Viz Media. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent". Viz Media. from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Griffith, Jonathan (March 24, 2020). "5 Anime Movies to Watch from Home". Michigan Theater Foundation. from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ アニメ「ベルセルク 黄金時代篇」3部作“メモリアルエディション”が2022年にTV放送. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. June 21, 2022. from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "Aniplex Online Fest 2022 Announces Programming Line-Up Plus Free In-Person Event at the PACIFICO Yokohama". Aniplex via Anime News Network. August 1, 2022. from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ AOF2022に「リコリス・リコイル」「後宮の烏」など20作以上が参加、リアル開催決定. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 1, 2022. from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ アニメ「ベルセルク 黄金時代篇」10月に放送、「夢のかがり火」のシーンなど新規カットも. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 9, 2022. from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ a b アニメ「ベルセルク 黄金時代篇」第2弾PV＆第3弾ビジュ公開、中島美嘉のEDも. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 7, 2022. from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Chapman, Paul (September 7, 2022). "High Fantasy Reigns in Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Memorial Edition Movie Trailer". Crunchyroll. from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ ベルセルク 黄金時代篇 MEMORIAL EDITION 第13話反撃の誓い (in Japanese). Tokyo MX. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (September 21, 2022). "Crunchyroll Announces Release Schedule for Fall 2022 Anime Season (Updated)". Anime News Network. from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 24, 2022). "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition TV Anime's 3rd Promo Video Features New Song by Susumu Hirasawa". Anime News Network. from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ Harding, Daryl (September 24, 2022). "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition TV Anime Delivers New Trailer". Crunchyroll. from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ Loo, Egan (September 15, 2011). "TV Berserk's Hirasawa, Eva's Sagisu Compose Berserk Film". Anime News Network. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Loo, Egan (January 29, 2013). "Hear Berserk Films' Theme With Made-Up Lyrics in Video". Anime News Network. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Loo, Egan (October 28, 2011). "Japanese-American Singer Ai Performs Berserk Ending Song". Anime News Network. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ "ウツクシキモノの歌詞". Oricon News (in Japanese). from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ Loo, Egan (November 13, 2012). "Chemistry's Kawabata Sings 3rd Berserk Film's Ending". Anime News Network. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ "ベルセルク特番でストーリーおさらい、EDは平沢進の新曲". Natalie (in Japanese). December 17, 2012. from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ 10月放送「ベルセルク」EDテーマは中島美嘉が担当、平沢進＆鷲巣詩郎は新規楽曲を提供. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 9, 2022. from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Dempsey, Liam (August 8, 2022). "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc Memorial Edition TV Broadcast to Feature New Ending Song". Crunchyroll. from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King". Box Office Mojo. from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent". Box Office Mojo. from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ Elsenbels, Richard (5 February 2013). "The Third Berserk Movie is by Far the Most Violent Thing I Have Ever Watched". Kotaku. from the original on 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
External links edit
- at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-02-01) (in Japanese)
- at the Wayback Machine (archived 2021-10-29)
- Memorial Edition official website (in Japanese)
- Memorial Edition official website at Aniplex (in Japanese)
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King at IMDb
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey at IMDb
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III: The Advent at IMDb
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc III: The Advent (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia