Despite things having gone a little awry towards the end of the first film, we return to the fray to find that things are still on the up and up for Griffith and his Band of the Hawks as they prove themselves to be ever more invaluable to Midland and their quest to regain land and power. In the midst of this however, this second movie shifts away from Griffith to spend some time focusing upon female soldier Casca and the unique problems that she faces on the battlefield as a woman, complete with a little delving into her back story and her first meeting with Griffith. Truth be told, this part of film actually strips away far too much of Casca’s strong-willed character thanks to its constant portrayal of her here as a suffering woman in a man’s world where almost everybody sees her as either weak or a plaything outside of those immediately surrounding her.
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‘Of course, bringing Casca closer to the forefront of proceedings also allows for some examination of the relationships between herself, Griffith and Guts, although when push comes to shove it’s really the dynamic between Guts and Griffith that drives the film. As Griffith moves substantially closer to achieving his dreams, so Guts finds himself questioning his own motivations, drive and ambitions – a line of internal questioning that sets the final segment of the film upon a fractious part that threatens to see everything come crashing down in a blaze of self-inflicted damage. In the midst of all this of course we have some epic battles to take in, with the film’s titular battle for the supposedly nigh-on impenetrable fortress of Doldrey the main action set-piece of the movie as the Band of the Hawks take on their most dangerous and challenging mission yet.’ (UK Anime Network)
A pass for all five films in the Fanomenon Anime Day 2012 (Asura, Wolf Children, Tiger & Bunny, Berserk 1, Berserk 2) is available for only £15 / £12.50: http://www.leedsfilm.com/tickets-passes/
