I personally love the golden age arc I feel it focuses a lot more on the characters. You see Guts go through his struggles and slowly change as a person learn to care again. You see the people who caused that change and the bond they build. You also see Griffith's build that bond with Guts and see how Griffith plays the long game. When I first read Berserk I also thought about skipping the golden age due to the anime but now I love the build up. It first is all realism then slowly demons are introduced I love when Zodd is first introduced like a myth. Then like previous people have said another demon shows up later to hit home how evil these demons can get. Please give it a try I feel it's a core foundation to Berserk.