Episode 358

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jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
A very good episode I must say. And that title is great!!
(Do i need to install some app to get the episode online? I might do like you and buy both version!)
 
:isidro: Oh my god! The shocking truth is revealed. Griffith...he's...he's...

A STREAKER!

There he goes, running naked all over Falconia, exposing his ding-dong to everyone! Is there no end to this vile fiend's depravity?

But seriously speaking, hot damn, this is good! We just got a huge bomb dropped on us. Confirmation of an old theory that's been circulating for ages now, and likely buildup to an event Miura clued us in on very recently. I'm honestly kind of scared; I know it's been years since we landed on Skellig, but it still feels like it's about to have a metaphorical nuke dropped on it with a God Hand coming in so suddenly. But then again, maybe it won't be so sudden for the elves and magi; old Ged did say a tempest would be coming.
 
It's strange. I'm actually kinda bummed out that we might not be spending much time with Griffith and Co. after all. I was hoping for a real look at all the dynamics of life in Falconia (or a look at Rickert among the Bakiraka). That isn't to say I'm not excited about potential developments on the Guts front, but I'll also be pleased if we stick with Griffith for a little while longer.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
We just got a huge bomb dropped on us. Confirmation of an old theory that's been circulating for ages now

Hm. It's not like there was any real doubt that Griffith and the Moonlight Boy shared a body...

I was hoping for a real look at all the dynamics of life in Falconia (or a look at Rickert among the Bakiraka).

Rickert and the Bakiraka aren't in Falconia anymore though. For all we know the next time we'll see them will be when they meet with Guts.
 
Still waiting for a translate to fully appreciate the episode, but I didn't expected to see Gaiseric be mentioned and the Moonlight Boy theory to be all but confirmed. And all of this only 3 episodes after getting Casca back.

Miura did talk about wrapping up some of the old plot lines before setting up the scene for the inevitable final showdown between Guts and Griffith. I think we are witnessing this exact thing happening right now.

This might be premature, but regarding not getting an episode next month, do you think Miura is moving towards more irregular release schedule? I think it's too early to say for sure, but he did talk about releasing episodes at his own pace in the previous interview. He might've been referring to taking regular hiatuses, but, to be honest, I would prefer having an irregular release schedule across the year than batches of episodes separated by large breaks.
 
Rickert and the Bakiraka aren't in Falconia anymore though. For all we know the next time we'll see them will be when they meet with Guts.

I feel like the parenthetical indicates Passione was explicitly acknowledging that.

To your point Passione, I agree that I would be very interested to see more fleshing out of the characters outside of Guts's immediate party, if only because the pace of the series seems to be picking up and I (unlike others, it seems) am satisfied with the ambivalence we saw in Guts and Casca's reunion. That said, I trust Miura fully to make it beyond worthwhile to follow the story in the order he has chosen and know that when we look back on it, it'll all have made sense. As a newbie, I have very few insights, but I can assure y'all that taking it as a full work (vs. struggling as you all have, and God bless you for it) the pacing in this series remains impeccable and I don't see him cutting any corners with giving us a very satisfying reveal of key anticipated reveals like the Bakiraka village, etc.

And all of this only 3 episodes after getting Casca back.

Having just caught up yesterday, I don't have as much ground to stand on as others here, but I must say I'm extremely impressed with the way that Miura budgets 20 pages. Looked at from the outside naming plot developments per episode, he's moving at bullet speed right now, but I still have found myself through the last couple volumes taking my time and really feeling that the pacing is as great as ever. This excites me a lot and makes worries about hiatuses seem unnecessary (but I don't quite get to say that, since after this weekend, I'll be experiencing my first lol; I just mean as far as quality, as mentioned above).

Miura did talk about wrapping up some of the old plot lines before setting up the scene for the inevitable final showdown between Guts and Griffith. I think we are witnessing this exact thing happening right now.

Again on the Miura love train, I am very impressed that he is able to work so masterfully as a storyteller as to tie up 20-year-long loose ends while insistently propelling the overall plot forward. It's wild to watch someone do what seems to have evaded many if not all major fantasy storytellers and keep plot and character as consistent hooks, rather than oscillating between the two for convenience. Every time I read a Miura interview claiming he just kind of figured it out as he went, I can't help but feel he's being WAY too humble. Things in the first 357 episodes have connected in ways that make it feel almost like he planned the entire thing, which is of course probably impossible...

This might be premature, but regarding not getting an episode next month, do you think Miura is moving towards more irregular release schedule?

I think this is premature just because as far as I understand it he's only confirmed so far to be skipping one issue, which seems consistent with his release schedule (if you look at Young Animal rather than real life time) for the past several years. I also might be too optimistic here, but it seems weird to spend Berserk's 30th anniversary year dragging your feet after spending all said and done five or so episodes tying together some of the most central fan predictions and anticipations. But I also agree with Aaz here that I'd rather not dwell on the future when the present isn't even in hand thanks to having to read this in English and being at the mercy of people who made the right choice and learned Japanese. :ganishka:
 
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Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
the pace of the series seems to be picking up [...] Looked at from the outside naming plot developments per episode, he's moving at bullet speed right now, but I still have found myself through the last couple volumes taking my time and really feeling that the pacing is as great as ever.

I don't think the pacing has really changed. What you're seeing is simply part of a major development, which is why it might feel to you that everything is suddenly coming together. But as you mention yourself, if you take a higher view then it's the same as ever. And it's been building up for a long time too, as I explain below.

Again on the Miura love train, I am very impressed that he is able to work so masterfully as a storyteller as to tie up 20-year-long loose ends while insistently propelling the overall plot forward.

This is a mischaracterization of what's happening here. The relation between the Boy in the Moonlight and Griffith isn't a loose end, it's something Miura has deliberately been building up over the course of the series. So what it means for him to pull that card now is that an even bigger plot development is probably coming soon, when the boy will meet with his parents.

Keep in mind that Guts and Casca's reunion may have started, but it certainly hasn't concluded or even proceeded forward yet. And said reunion will be one of the most important moments in the entire series. What we've seen so far was amazing, but we've yet to see the crux of it. Beyond that alone, Elfhelm was always set out to be where a lot of turning points would happen. More information about how the world works and how it is changing. Reveals about the God Hand's plans and maybe how to stop them. Key character development for Guts' group. More information about the Skull Knight and what happened a thousand years ago. A new, different reason for Guts and the others to go after Griffith. And so on.

In the same way, what we saw in most of this episode, the furthering of Griffith's plans to eradicate astral beings while establishing a new empire, is also part of a slowly building reveal: what the ultimate plan of the God Hand is. I've theorized for years that they would try to wipe out all astral beings, possibly to remove "chaos" from the equation and create a purely deterministic world where the principle of causality is an absolute rule. Whatever it ends up being, Miura's building it right now in front of our eyes. Attentive readers can see it.

Every time I read a Miura interview claiming he just kind of figured it out as he went, I can't help but feel he's being WAY too humble.

Hahaha, that's for sure.

Things in the first 357 episodes

Episode numbering started in the middle of volume 5, don't exclude what came before. :slan:
 
One thing that may happen is Griffith being dragged out of his body for an extended period of time. Griffith was only gone for a single night the first two times he was possesed. However this time he's likely going to Elfhelm, where the time dialation could mean he'll be absent from Falconia for months.
 
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Absolutely amazing episode and a lot to say. First of all, i love the reveal for the moonlight boy stuff. In typical Miura fashion he didn't throw it into the face of the reader, but made it quite clear and subtle at the same time while creating suspense for whats to come in Elfhelm.

And generally i just love to see the political side of how Falconia is approached, be it on the topic of Finances, Expansion or creating a second Empire reminiscent of Gaiserics. Its funny how Miura also used Giorgio Vandimion as a financial adviser which fits perfectly as he was the manager of the Vandimion bank, small detail but very welcomed.

Now the amount of possibilities that can happen on Elfhelm are endless. I wonder if the moonlight boy spending the night in Elfhelm will cause suspicion on Griffiths whereabouts, but we still obviously do not know how much time passes outside of Elfhelm.
 
It's strange. I'm actually kinda bummed out that we might not be spending much time with Griffith and Co. after all. I was hoping for a real look at all the dynamics of life in Falconia (or a look at Rickert among the Bakiraka). That isn't to say I'm not excited about potential developments on the Guts front, but I'll also be pleased if we stick with Griffith for a little while longer.

Me too, a lot of people reel at the idea of returning to the Griffith POV, but I would have liked to at least had a seen more of Falconia. Or at least what Luca and her henchmen are up to.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
One thing that may happen is Griffith beindmg dragged out of his body for an extended period of time. Griffith was only gone for a single night the first two times he was possesed. However this time he's likely going to Elfhelm, where the time dialation could mean he'll be absent from Falconia for months.

Walter and I were talking about this yesterday. I'm not convinced it'll happen, but it would certainly be a supremely interesting development. How would Falconia function without its centerpiece? Would they eventually send in a "rescue party", led by Sonia? Would Charlotte be able to hold her own as ruler? Speculating even farther, what if she's pregnant when he gets back? :isidro:

And of course there's the topic of what will happen when the boy gets to Skellig. He's going to be under more scrutiny than he's ever been before and by people who know what they're doing. There are many ways it could go.
Would his arrival trigger some defenses? I would expect Danan to know what's up, but I'm more curious about what stance the gurus would take. And will the Skull Knight choose that occasion to show up? Of course, even without overt tension, just Casca meeting the boy will be quite something. Add Guts in and it's already explosive.

That encounter will also eventually reveal more details about how the Griffith/Boy relationship works. Like for example whether Griffith is conscious of what happens when the kid is in charge. If he is, we might get some more insight into how he feels about the whole thing (specifically the fact it's a huge weakness for him). For example that could justify sending an apostle strike team to Skellig to try and neutralize the threat. An interesting detail is that we got a glimpse of Griffith's inner thoughts in this episode. It hadn't happened since volume 22, and he had been reflecting on the same thing then (the boy).

And generally i just love to see the political side of how Falconia is approached, be it on the topic of Finances, Expansion or creating a second Empire reminiscent of Gaiserics.

I think the most important reveal in this case is the changing social structure and plans for state-mandated education. That sounds like something that will feed right into the God Hand's plan that I mentioned above, all the while seeming like a good thing at first glance. In a way it's a direct continuation of the industriousness Rickert witnessed in volume 38. Mankind will be united under one government, one religion, one leader, one will. It's very fascistic, and evokes various real-world dictatorships to me.

Its funny how Miura also used Giorgio Vandimion as a financial adviser which fits perfectly as he was the manager of the Vandimion bank, small detail but very welcomed.

Do we know that it's him though? I haven't been able to decide. He doesn't seem to be named in the episode, and I feel like if it were him, Miura would have made it clear.
 
Read this last night when I picked up a copy of Young Animal. Based on it being a larger issue than normal, I'm guessing we won't get the next episode until June.
 
Would people get mad if the next episode is focused on Rickert? I think it makes sense to see what he is up to at the moment but I also understand if we get to see him much later on.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Would people get mad if the next episode is focused on Rickert? I think it makes sense to see what he is up to at the moment but I also understand if we get to see him much later on.

I don't think people would be mad, no, but I also don't think it's very likely that the next episode will focus on Rickert.
 

residentgrigo

Excitement and Enjoyment!
I love how Griffith and Miura turn the perfectly innocent and valid topic of war orphans and refugees into establishing Starship Troopers type fascism (the book is even better than the film) in one single speech. This was also the most characterization he got in at least a decade. The rapid expansion plan has to lead to something and the map of the outer territories remind me of Attack on Titan. The Guts and Griffith storylines are barely the same manga at this point... The fan theories of overpopulating and then sacrificing the capital can lastly be buried now.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
the map of the outer territories remind me of Attack on Titan.

This isn't an actual map and it's not depicting "outer territories". It's a visual representation of Griffith's plan for Falconia's expansion.

The Guts and Griffith storylines are barely the same manga at this point...

Miura has always underlined the difference between Guts and Griffith, one flying high in the sky and the other struggling in the mud. This has of course taken on a new dimension since Falconia appeared while Guts and the others journeyed to another part of the world. That being said, this is just setting things up for what's to come, so I don't find your comment very pertinent. Especially since the end of this episode shows us Griffith leaving his Charlotte's bedroom... and most certainly heading towards Guts and Casca.
 
Would people get mad if the next episode is focused on Rickert? I think it makes sense to see what he is up to at the moment but I also understand if we get to see him much later on.

Im sure everyone here would be fine with it if it happened, but the people in the subreddit? Nope, many of them HATE the fact that we switched from Guts to Griffith and they find the last 3 episodes annoying and useless so... they would hate the switch to Rickert now even more. :shrug:
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Would people get mad if the next episode is focused on Rickert? I think it makes sense to see what he is up to at the moment but I also understand if we get to see him much later on.
The world of Berserk is gushing with interesting things right now. Seeing Silat's warrior base would be really interesting, but i think most of us want to see Guts and Casca as soon as possible simply because its the most interesting thing going on at this time. and when you think about it, these last few "Griffith" episodes have all been build up to Griffith transforming so that Miura could throw another layer of interesting on top of the already super interesting Guts and Casca reunion. It was all a ruse to make it Super-Ultra Interesting.
 
If the God Hand manifest in their true forms, as a result of a further merging of the worlds, Femto may not even need the Moonlight Boy in the future. We still don't know for sure if destroying Griffiths body would kill Femto.
Right, but it may be enough to banish him and stop whatever plans he is trying to enact.
 
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