Heisenberg said:Had I been quoting a direct line from the manga I would have said "family" with double quotations. Using 'family' with single quotations simply denotes the use of the word family to describe people that were close to him, and acted as a family, without actually being one.
That's great, although I have no interest in your special personal use of quotation marks. Guts' current companions aren't a real family, but he seems to consider them in such a way. He was close to some of his former comrades from the Band of the Falcon, but not in the exact same way.
Heisenberg said:Can we say his relationship with his new comrades is that deep?
Well, yes. Yes we can.
Heisenberg said:The reason the bond Guts has formed with his new crew is so exquisite is because it represents him coming out of the other end of the proverbial tunnel that he entered after the Eclipse.
There's more to it than that.
Heisenberg said:The Black Swordsman arc introduces Guts as almost a sociopath, who cares only about killing monsters.
That's not true, you're exaggerating. Even then he wasn't completely heartless or anything like that. Remember that this arc ends on a panel of him crying.
Heisenberg said:Chronologically, the next time we see him, after the flashback, is the Lost Children story. Here we have Guts killing demons made from children, and at one point almost chops Jill in half in order to kill Rosine. Not to mention that the apostle he's fighting is somewhat sympathetic.
While things get somewhat lighter after that (thanks to Puck), we still have the impression that Guts is never going to go back to the way he was again. The fact that he was able to come out the other side of this darkness and find a new family, is made so extraordinary because of the scars left by his old family.
I think you're misrepresenting things for the sake of your argument. Puck/Jill/Guts himself were already lightening things up during the Lost Children chapter, and you fail to mention Guts & Jill's relationship, preferring to settle for a dramatic "almost chopped her in half". Furthermore, Guts' return to sanity was rather progressive and the biggest early step after the Lost Children chapter would have to be his return to Godot's place after the Falcon dream and his son's subsequent warning. As for the "scars" you mention, it would be more apt to say the rape of the woman he loves and (by proxy) the murder of his comrades by someone he considered his friend and had just rescued was what left them.
Heisenberg said:You also have to remember that most of the bonding between him and the Hawks took place off panel. He's been with his new family for what, a year? Less? He spent more than three years bonding with his old comrades and growing close to them, most of which we didn't get to see. And frankly, he's not exactly open with his new friends. The only ones who really know what happened to him are the ones who have been inside his mind. The only time he ever actually spoke to one of them about his past was when Puck listened to him tell Rickert. I mean this is only natural, given how painful it obviously is to talk about, but it's still a wall that prevents him from being fully open.
Well he doesn't speak about it because he's been traumatized, as was shown times and times again. Anyway, there's a reason we see more interaction and bonding in less time with his new comrades than with his old ones. In addition, if we weren't shown something during the Golden Age arc, it's because it wasn't... significant.
Heisenberg said:Let me ask you this. Would you agree that the Eclipse is one of the most significant moments in the series? If not the most significant? And if so, wouldn't it stand to reason that the Golden Age, as the story that culminates into the Eclipse has a great level of significance?
I don't think the Occultation ceremony is the most significant moment of the series, nor would I take upon myself to define one. I invite you to read the post above yours, where I laid out what I think is a simple truth.
Heisenberg said:I'm not saying necessarily that it is, just that an argument could be made for it.
Arguments can be made for anything and everything, that doesn't mean much. If you want to take a stance on the issue then do so clearly.