Episode 372

[Griffith]

So, my initial reaction is this was fine, it actually didn't have anything jarringly weird in it for a Berserk continuation that's not by Miura but purportedly following some loose plan or guidelines of his. Not a lot happened, but again, what did was ok and made sense to me that they're basically physically and mentally keeping Casca, and her child, contained and out of Griffith's hair (literally in the boy's case). This actually wasn't far off from an illustrated summary, just with like, 20 illustrations, "Casca is a well-kept prisoner in the castle so now Griffith is heading EAST!"

Also, I don't really get all the art talk surrounding this episode online, or I guess in general with the continuation. It's kind of a strawman to point to the art and say, "It's getting better!" Like, the art is actually the least problematic thing about this endeavor. I wouldn't care if the art were worse, or in Mori's style, or non-existent. It's the trying to vaguely convey Miura's story elements from beyond the grave in something kind of resembling his detailed writing and directional style, but sorely lacking its integrity, that's creating extreme dissonance for some dedicated fans, for which this sticks out like a sore thumb. Not Casca or Guts going on and off model occasionally.

 

[Odysseus]

I think the most consistent aspect of the continuation is that it's always hard to tell what's going on. I had a lot of trouble following this one. If this is the sign of things to come, I guess conventional story-telling is out the window from now on. Maybe that's for the best though.


Poor Casca, already back to being a vegetable.

 

[Beelzebud]

Just seen the episode right now after a long day!

That episode was... Really acceptable, such an strange feeling reading it, i think my expectations are being "equalized" after a hiatus or after finally accepting Miura's loss.

Casca being pampered and taking everything at face value initially was pretty confusing to me. Like, why would she not immediately wonder what the hell is happening, where her friends are, etc.? Instead they zoom past any potential conflict to set a serene sequence of events. Then she freaks out, lops off a guy's arm, then wants to return ("we've gotta go back!").

That gave me back memories of Snyder's Sucker Punch, only missed Casca thinking she's a super hero when she touched that sword

Maybe there's a line where they imply that "it's happening again" but I can't say so from what I see.

I have the same feeling of loop, or that this day is far from the first of her captive. But for me isn't a specific line, but the way that the maidens deal with Casca, they look to know her behaviors on the start, and are cautious with her later rampage.(Or maybe just poor writing)

Is the bird Irvine is referring to Casca?

Yes. It's not very good writing, but that's par for the course now.

Don't Irvine always talk in figurative ways? Like a Bard, Poet or something. If I'm not wrong, then there's a chance that he's not talking about Casca.

Also, I don't really get all the art talk surrounding this episode online, or I guess in general with the continuation. It's kind of a strawman to point to the art and say, "It's getting better!" Like, the art is actually the least problematic thing about this endeavor. I wouldn't care if the art were worse, or in Mori's style, or non-existent.

Totally agree. But specifically in that episode, i have a feeling that we could get 3 or 4 pages of truly Works of Art, that Miura usually gave us. Instead we got a group or acceptable drawings, with minor mistakes and character displacements.


Overall, i think if the continuation goes on in this same route, we might get an acceptable summary of Miura's intentions. And a original materials release after they finish it will be enough for us fans to wonder what we will get on a reality with Miura finishing it, and I hope that got satisfied from whatever he is now :,)

 

[AStrugglerNamedSlickBack]

Decent. An improvement for sure.

 

[Lawliet]

My feelings while reading this episode are basically a mirror of how Casca was feeling in the initial sequence, except I didn't feel pampered, and I shed no tears. I just can't bring myself past the indifference I feel while reading these episodes. Why is Casca not thrown in a jail cell anyway?

As for the art, I'm basically considering it as fanart, because that's what it is, except they get paid for it. It's nice to see new artworks of these characters in that sense, and I'm enjoying it as much as I do the occasional fanart posted online. So there's that at least.

 

[Irvine]

But for me isn't a specific line, but the way that the maidens deal with Casca, they look to know her behaviors on the start, and are cautious with her later rampage.(Or maybe just poor writing)

It feels like a daily shedule doesn't it? Waking up, getting dressed, meeting people etc. Also the children seem to know her and based on her comment it looks like she already knows about the band of the Falcon.

 

[manvsdestiny]

Why is Casca not thrown in a jail cell anyway?

imma guess her and guts son wouldn't allow griffith to treat her like that

 

[Aazealh]

Don't Irvine always talk in figurative ways?

Uh, no?

If I'm not wrong, then there's a chance that he's not talking about Casca.

He's absolutely talking about Casca.

But specifically in that episode, i have a feeling that we could get 3 or 4 pages of truly Works of Art, that Miura usually gave us. Instead we got a group or acceptable drawings, with minor mistakes and character displacements.

It's really not comparable and as such I think it's probably best not to compare them.

 

[Crustyleader]

If I'm read/understand this right when Griffith says "East" does that mean that he's plan to expands his empire, so does that mean that Mori is planning to make berserk more extensive that we are expected. That's what I got form that and I personally don't think to see Guts and the group for quite awhile.

 

[Aazealh]

If I'm read/understand this right when Griffith says "East" does that mean that he's plan to expands his empire

That seems like the logical conclusion.

does that mean that Mori is planning to make berserk more extensive that we are expected.

I don't think it implies Mori's intentions for the series have changed.

Griffith has been busy conquering land for a while and we only saw glimpses of it so far. No reason for that to change. It's just brought about clumsily in this case, likely as a way to signify that to him, the Casca/Boy problem has been taken care of.

 

[Crustyleader]

If I'm correct. I found it confusing when Casca hears one of the maid say Band of The Falcon, which brings tears to Casca and would it trigger her to remember her past? But she was drugged or could this be just an art choice.

 

[Aazealh]

If I'm correct. I found it confusing when Casca hears one of the maid say Band of The Falcon, which brings tears to Casca and would it trigger her to remember her past? But she was drugged or could this be just an art choice.

She cries because it evokes something in her despite her subdued state. It's meant to show that they can't completely suppress her memories. The reason it's confusing to you is probably because it's inconsistent with other cases of her remembering things. It was quite different when she was on the island and they're obviously not able to reproduce that level of storytelling, but even within this very episode they're doing a bunch of different things.

For example, she misses her friends and wants to return to them (return "home"), but she also thinks of Guts at the beginning and somehow that doesn't bring about any anguish related to the Eclipse, unlike before. Yet hearing about the Band of the Falcon does, even though it seems subconscious. I mean, it's not that I care at this point, but her having to deal with her past was clearly established as a problem she'd need to overcome, and now she apparently has done that offscreen, or at least it's been cast aside because she has another, new memory problem to deal with.

It's messy and clumsy, and I think is a result of what we had mentioned before that @Griffith restated above: this is a cursory summary that's been elongated to fill an episode.

It feels like a daily shedule doesn't it? Waking up, getting dressed, meeting people etc. Also the children seem to know her and based on her comment it looks like she already knows about the band of the Falcon.

Well it is very clearly following a pre-arranged schedule organized by Casca's captors, and is meant to imply a routine to keep her occupied and pacified. There's no doubt about that. But it doesn't mean it's the same day repeating endlessly, as you were saying. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, this whole sequence is made confusing because the story flow just isn't very good, and the escape scene in particular is inserted in there abrupty with inappropriate transitions.

My guess is that she's been there for a few days, and the escape sequence is her remembering something that had happened the day before. But because they have her move from the bath to a chair in an empty room and then to a bed in short succession, there's no way to know how the events articulate with each other. Simply said, it's bad storytelling. I don't think it's worth dwelling on too much (since her situation is the same either way), but since we're at it, I'll share some observations.

Casca touches her brand when she wakes up, implying she recalls the pain but doesn't feel any currently. The fact she remembers her abduction also suggests it's still a fresh occurrence and not much time has passed since she arrived. That said, they still had the time to get someone to make her a dress, so being the second or third day feels sensible. Side note: sleeping in the middle of a giant hall with no furniture or anything is weird, but I'm chalking that up to a bad artistic decision and not something meaningful to the story.

Later on, Casca is presumably being taken to the orphanage Charlotte proposes to establish in episode 358 (or maybe, more simply, it's where she's being held). The problem is that it doesn't make much sense, time-wise. Building the orphanage and transplanting flowers like Charlotte mentioned would have taken months. But the way the episode depicts things, it can't have been that long, because otherwise Casca's state would be a non-issue and not something Irvine would be reporting on. Him doing so is, in itself, an indication they've just gotten her under control and therefore that she arrived recently. Of course, with the way they treated Griffith's return, it's not clear that they understand he was only gone for a night. Anyway, I'm guessing it's just a future avenue for a meeting between Casca and Charlotte and for that reason, it was just put there.

By the way, the children don't necessarily seem to know her in the scene? We just see some of them look up curiously, then we see her making them flower crowns, implying she spent an amount of time there. They're not rushing to her or waving when she arrives. On that note, I do wonder whether Casca would want to spend her day making flower crowns for random kids. Doesn't seem like something she would gravitate towards, even in a altered state of mind like she is. Taking care of her own son is one thing, but that's not quite the same.

Speaking of Irvine, it's strange to me that he's the one reporting on Casca's state. That doesn't sound like the sort of thing he should be doing. Locus is more the type to handle this stuff, and the other lieutenants aren't subservient to him. I guess it gives him something to do. Another weird decision is to have Zodd standing guard instead of kneeling with the others. He stood guard in the woods in volume 23 because it was... Well, the woods. There were attempts on Griffith's life there (which he didn't even prevent lol). But it's useless here and it feels odd that he'd stay away while Griffith is giving orders. It's another case of "hey, remember that?", but it's not really justified.

Lastly, Rakshas is not shown and hasn't been for a while. It doesn't mean anything in and of itself, but I wonder if Mori will just pretend he died to avoid having to address his existence. Would be one thing less to take care of.

 

[Soul_Mole]

I was right about Griffith wanting to expand into the East. It's only natural if he wants to unite the continent under his banner. It would be cool to see in what state is current Kushan empire and how are they holding up against astral creatures.

The overall episode was solid. I still think there are too many empty panels with little to no context and the dialogue still seems to be the thorn in Mori's side. My initial impression was that she was stuck in some kind of hallucinogenic dream and that definitely wasn't her first day there.

The art on the other hand was lackluster. Brock-like eyes are everywhere and Zodd's face looks weird to say at least.

 

[cijhho123]

Finnaly got to read it! I've been avoiding social media entirely to escape the spoilers
Overall this episode was an improvment compare to past ones - the actions conveyed more clearly, the pacing is better and this Casca feels a bit more like the real Casca.
All that EAST talk come out as a bit forced to me, having Griffith to say: "We shall head east" is more than enough.

As for the debate that arises in this thread about whether or not its her first day being brainwashed, IMO its obviously not - a lot of small details indicate that this is some kind of a wake up brainwashed - daily routine as a princess - remembering the truth - trying to escape - putting to sleep loop. Altough its probably going only a few days (a week or so?).

A lot of loose plot threads that remained untouched for quite a while have the opportunity to come back into the main plot now, my guesses are:
- Rickert and the Bakiraka uniting with Guts and the gang
- Luka and Charlotte have some kind of interaction that'll show Charollotte Griffith's true nature

 

[underpileofdeadbodies]

Lastly, Rakshas is not shown and hasn't been for a while. It doesn't mean anything in and of itself, but I wonder if Mori will just pretend he died to avoid having to address his existence. Would be one thing less to take care of.

To be continued in "Berserk: The lost chapters...."

 

[Odysseus]

Maybe Rakshas was put in the time out corner for failing to kill Rickert

 

[Griffith]

My feelings while reading this episode are basically a mirror of how Casca was feeling in the initial sequence, except I didn't feel pampered, and I shed no tears. I just can't bring myself past the indifference I feel while reading these episodes.

That's a perfect comparison for how I felt to start the continuation versus my violent awakening.

If I'm read/understand this right when Griffith says "East" does that mean that he's plan to expands his empire, so does that mean that Mori is planning to make berserk more extensive that we are expected. That's what I got form that and I personally don't think to see Guts and the group for quite awhile.

Griffith has been busy conquering land for a while and we only saw glimpses of it so far. No reason for that to change. It's just brought about clumsily in this case, likely as a way to signify that to him, the Casca/Boy problem has been taken care of.

Yeah, while it was interesting to see Griffith apparently have future war plans that aren't merely extrapolated from what was already confirmed... well, it was confirmed because Griffith laid out his Imperial intentions, so this could actually be the most perfunctory way possible of addressing that and what he's up to, "EAST!"

It could actually and likely be a stand-in that amounts to FAR LESS than what we might have expected as far as his, and the God Hand's, future plans. It'll be interesting to see how specifically important this Eastern campaign is to the story and what else is going on behind the scenes. It could be some really cool big picture shit Miura told Mori about, or it could amount to bog standard background filler to keep Griffith busy until Guts shows up to kill him.

Later on, Casca is presumably being taken to the orphanage Charlotte proposes to establish in episode 358 (or maybe, more simply, it's where she's being held). The problem is that it doesn't make much sense, time-wise. Building the orphanage and transplanting flowers like Charlotte mentioned would have taken months.

They just added it on and knocked it out with the man-made bay/pier construction project.

I'm impressed they called back to it at all, but like you say, it's probably just a way to force Casca and Charlotte to meet. Griffith: Master Tactician!

Another weird decision is to have Zodd standing guard instead of kneeling with the others. He stood guard in the woods in volume 23 because it was... Well, the woods. There were attempts on Griffith's life there (which he didn't even prevent lol). But it's useless here and it feels odd that he'd stay away while Griffith is giving orders. It's another case of "hey, remember that?", but it's not really justified.

It's the sort of storytelling by extrapolation I was referencing earlier and we've seemingly already seen multiple examples of: Zodd stood off to the side in the woods with his arms crossed a couple times, so now that's his thing in ANY casual situation because only Miura could comfortably alter the parameters of Zodd's behavior or invent other things for him to do, like standing next to Griffith in the room (honestly, that one's not much of a stretch, and to your point he literally already kneeled with the others after they first assembled). Let's do the thing where we overanalyze it to rationalize this and start a rumor Zodd is doing that because he's not pleased with Griffith's leadership! Bum bum bum!

"Does this mean ZODD will rescue Casca and join Guts!?"

Lastly, Rakshas is not shown and hasn't been for a while. It doesn't mean anything in and of itself, but I wonder if Mori will just pretend he died to avoid having to address his existence. Would be one thing less to take care of.

Another Poochie dying on the way back to his home planet? Like the entire Elfhelm cast. Really, there's maybe no greater honor left for a character in the series than having your final scene depicted by Miura.

 

[Walter]

Another Poochie dying on the way back to his home planet? Like the entire Elfhelm cast. Really, there's maybe no greater honor left for a character in the series than having your final scene depicted by Miura.

This is why Zodd looks so gloomy. He knows he missed his opportunity for a glorious death. The Ultimate Strong One has already departed.

 

[ApostleBob]

What an odd episode. It really seems to be to evoke a mood of what Casca's imprisonment is, but it leaves a lot unclear. Is this the first time she's woken up here? Are they drugging her? Who knows. The implication to me seems like they have a routine they are following but that Casca keeps breaking out from it.

The episode totally avoids her engaging with Griffith, an apostle, or any other significant character. I almost wish Luca and her girls were working as the hand maidens so that we could get more out of this, but that would be a bit of a stretch.

I'm glad they are giving her some agency with the breakout attempt, but it's hard to judge the whole situation based on this initial episode.

The bit with Irving not kneeling is some slight character distinction between the more knightly apostles. But Griffith simply saying 'East' is pretty vague. I'm sure it's a conquest thing, but we don't need to introduce a whole new set of enemies for the apostles to fight unless it ties into the larger narrative. With any luck it will correspond with Rickert and the Bakiraka.

The art is mostly good, but Studio Gaga is still doing lazy splotches as clouds in the sky, and it looks like Zodd has an arm growing on his arm, like a screw-up they tried to incorporate as a muscle. Casca looks good but not like Casca if that makes sense. I like their take on Griffith. I get the impression that we're really seeing a general art shift. There is talent here, but the paneling sequences leave a bit to be desired.

Not terrible, not amazing. It's a transitional episode.

 

[Xenoskell]

Well at least Casca is trying to remember about Guts...
Meanwhile, Guts is wondering about The Sword.

Maybe Rakshas was put in the time out corner for failing to kill Rickert

Koji Mori : "Who is Rakshas?"

 

[Aazealh]

a lot of small details indicate that this is some kind of a wake up brainwashed - daily routine as a princess - remembering the truth - trying to escape - putting to sleep loop

Nothing actually indicates that she tries to escape every day, as we talked about in the chat. But the fact there's such uncertainty on the matter is telling. To be clear, though, the simplest and most effective way to establish a "loop" where the exact same events keep repeating it to actually show the looping in question, which doesn't happen here.

it was confirmed because Griffith laid out his Imperial intentions, so this could actually be the most perfunctory way possible of addressing that and what he's up to, "EAST!" It could actually and likely be a stand-in that amounts to FAR LESS than what we might have expected as far as his, and the God Hand's, future plans.

Indeed...

Let's do the thing where we overanalyze it to rationalize this and start a rumor Zodd is doing that because he's not pleased with Griffith's leadership! Bum bum bum!

Oh I guarantee you that someone somewhere is already convinced of this.

The bit with Irving not kneeling is some slight character distinction between the more knightly apostles.

But... Irvine kneels immediately as he arrives.

The art is mostly good, but Studio Gaga is still doing lazy splotches as clouds in the sky, and it looks like Zodd has an arm growing on his arm, like a screw-up they tried to incorporate as a muscle. Casca looks good but not like Casca if that makes sense. I like their take on Griffith. I get the impression that we're really seeing a general art shift. There is talent here, but the paneling sequences leave a bit to be desired.

Clearly lots of work went into this episode from Studio Gaga. Backgrounds, armors and costumes, poses and angles... It really can't be said they aren't trying, even though the poor likeness for the characters and especially Casca is hard to overlook. But as far as details go, I think forgetting to apply the tone to her skin on page 8 (top right panel) is a bigger offender than clouds. Anyway, the artwork isn't an issue to me compared to the writing. Even the episode title... Like is she a "raven" because she's got brown skin? Pretty lazy metaphor if so. I wish Mori would either put in more of an effort or keep it to a minimum. No dialog is better than bad dialog.

 

[Irvine]

Meanwhile, Guts is wondering about The Sword.

Ugh...that will never not piss me off.

It makes Guts look like a selfish asshole.

Casca? Who even is that? Muh sword failed!

 

[Odysseus]

Oh I guarantee you that someone somewhere is already convinced of this.

Already saw it on Reddit lol

 

[Eternal_Void]

Kind of like a CEO stepping down and a new one taking the rains. Promising everything to be as good as before, to preserve the image of Miura and to check all of the marketing B**S** boxes in their statements, but in the end all they are thinking about is making as much profit as possible for as long as possible.
The figurine that is stylized for "looking cool" and not being lore accurate is the epitome of the new continuation: make sh*t look cool, explain it halfheartedly in universe and go grab that well deserved bag of ¥.

By no means is the team currently behind Berserk talentless and or bad, they are simply vastly inferior to Miura and his craft. The more time passes the more does the continuation artwork reaffirm the magnitude of influence that Miura had and brings into light his eye for detail that crafted the story into a coherent image throughout.

Like a magic trick finally having it's secret revealed, it takes the magic out of the work as it becomes less emotionally stimulating and thought evoking the next time you see it.

I feel like the true fans interest will fade away in time as they await for the eventual release of the "Miura's Berserk ending" bullet point list.
Remember that you don't need to stop reading to lose interest, recognizing that your emotional investment when reading the panels is less and less as time passes is also a hint.

I would say that sad days are upon us, but it was all over the day we got the news of Miura's passing.

 

[Beelzebud]

It's really not comparable and as such I think it's probably best not to compare them.

You are right, it's just a expectation that is hard to not have. I think not talking about it is the better thing now.

it was confirmed because Griffith laid out his Imperial intentions, so this could actually be the most perfunctory way possible of addressing that and what he's up to, "EAST!"

Are we taking about previous intentions of Griffith, not Femto, here? That's a doubt I always have(not just with the continuation) because we know that Femto doesn't have any human emotions on him, Griffith humans intentions was just a causality parallel to his future God Hands "role"(if that's a thing) or Femto just still want to finish his later human intentions (i know that's surely not the case, but is something that always comes in my mind) and that's a signal of some weakness to exploit, apparently he doesn't have any weakness besides the obvious Moonlight Boy.

Just sharing my thoughts here because if Mori plans to finish Berserk with 4 episodes a year, and in less than five years (just hypothetically) them that's a thing that he have to explicit know Miura's intentions for us to have an end for the story..

Let's do the thing where we overanalyze it to rationalize this and start a rumor Zodd is doing that because he's not pleased with Griffith's leadership! Bum bum bum!

Have to admit that something crossed my mind, shame on me!
But we had to agree that that Zodd is special to a "normal" Apostle, he had something that looks like a "moral"