Thanks man, whew, speedy listener!
I don't think it's necessary for the group to see Guts in that moment of weakness, for which he's already paid community service for (Enoch troll cleanup duty counts, right?). In all seriousness, I don’t think Miura wrote that scene to color Guts as a sexual abuser, but to demonstrate how desperate the situation was when it was just him and Casca on the journey, and how close Guts came to losing everything. It was a terrible moment on his otherwise stoic journey. Guts knows that, and it's why he agreed to have companions.
Oh yeah, of course not. My intention wasn't to imply that Guts must face any sort of punishment for his actions, or even that the party will come to hate him for performing them. But I don't think the entire purpose of that scene was for Guts to realize that he couldn't travel alone and protect Casca from himself. I think the point of that scene was to Guts have the closest brush with his dark side that he's ever had and to realize just how dangerous he could be to the people close to him if he loses control. Sure, his decision to begin traveling with companions again was a direct result of this realization, but the most important thing about this scene is to establish the real, tangible danger of the Beast of Darkness.
My idea was that the party becoming aware of Casca's assault would serve as a segue into them learning about Guts' struggle with the Beast of Darkness. They know Guts has been through a traumatic experience (though only Schierke and Puck know the specifics), but they don't know about his struggle with the Beast. While I think Guts has definitely become possessed of a much healthier mindset since he began traveling with his new companions, I also highly doubt his struggle with the Beast of Darkness is over just yet (in fact, his last internal "dialogue" with it suggests he knows those dark feelings will rear their head again in the future). The foreshadowing surrounding the Beast is very ominous, and I am almost certain it will be something Guts and the party have to deal with in the future. Which is why I thought them learning about the assault and confronting Guts about it would be a good way to advance that subplot (although Casca alone being the one to do so would also be acceptable).
Going back to the scene itself, I think it is also significant that not even Puck--who has seen Guts do terrible things before--was present for Casca's assault. He was even conveniently given a different reason for Casca's distrust of Guts when he was possessed by spirits and strangled her so he wouldn't suspect any other reason (not to imply that was the only purpose of that scene). Guts' assault was an intimate moment between himself and Casca. It's a dark secret that no one else knows about. So while I will relent that Farnese and Schiekre don't necessarily have to learn about it, I do believe that Casca at least has to confront Guts about it, for better or worse. Again, not that I expect her to hate him for it. But a bit of anger, betrayal, and concern for his well-being would be about what I expect.
Sorry for hijacking this thread, I know this is offtopic. You can delete this if you want to, I just wanted to offer my own perspective on this subject.
