Episode 312

Oburi

All praise Grail
Walter said:
I think Schierke would deny that up until the moment they kissed :casca:

Stop this, your getting ahead of yourselves (and I can barely contain my excitement of that visual image)!
 

Aphasia

ALL MYSTERIES MUST BE SOLVED
Haha. I'm really interested to see the dynamic between these three characters and how they react to each other. I can see some great dialogue between them. I'm counting myself in the party that hopes Isma sticks around for a while...I'm enjoying her character a lot so far, and think she would add a lot to the cast. Love Triangle? : O
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
I think this episode shows it a lot more than we've seen in the past.

Honestly? Not particularly in my opinion. It's more of a continuation of their history together, and I don't expect anything spectacular to happen soon. Miura's developing this really slowly and subtly. The payoff will likely be years from now.

Oburi said:
When she shows up at Isma's place, even Isidro comments on how she seems "more scary" than usual.

Mostly due to the fact she's covered in algae and sea life. It's a humorous situation.

Oburi said:
That comment, along with Schierke's over the top reaction definitely seem to be the results of a romance in the making.
Proj2501 said:
Miura has really planted the seeds of those two eventually getting together. Their awkward first encounter with one another, Isidro fighting to protect her on the docks (Isi's first time fighting against normal people btw), along with their constant banter. One day he's going to stop being 'The Monkey' and win her over in a serious way. Just watch.

:ganishka: You guys are so late to the show.

Oburi said:
Also there is so much fish in this episode. Even Isidro is eating fish at Isma's and it looks like the signpost for the inn is a jug and a cup on a fish ( which is ironic if it was always there even before the villagers changed into fish eating monsters) . Just a few more to go along with all the other fish references.

It's a minuscule island on which fishing is the only activity. What else do you expect? Of course there are fish references everywhere. There's nothing even remotely ironic about it.

Proj2501 said:
Here's some quick speculation of Isma's future. She'll turn out to be friendly, maybe get close to the group. Eventually Guts and Co. will have to deal with whatever creature/God is in the cave and she'll wind up dying protecting the band.

Reminds me of something I speculated about... Last week. :badbone:

Proj2501 said:
Or hell, maybe she'll live and wind up staying on the island.

Or going back to the sea.

Proj2501 said:
Like Azan was reintroduced and it's been sometime and I feel like he's just kinda there as backdrop. He really hasn't said much.

Well so far he hasn't even come forward as being himself and is trying to stay incognito, so I think it's safe to say his "great return" hasn't actually occurred yet.

Proj2501 said:
I would die laughing if and when they ever kiss that as they are doing so, cartoony Puck goes to grab Ivarella's hand and she subsequently whack's him in the face.

How about this instead? :void:

Puck-Iva.jpg
 
Walter said:
Schierke seemed a little hurt, to me. She was genuinely worried about him after finding his dagger in the cave, and sought him out... only to find he was boob-gazing. Poor Schierke...

Haha, well, given how soaked Schierke is, the fact that Isma has a nice warm fire handy leads me to speculate at a possible situation along the lines of Schierke having to get out of her clothes to dry them and warm herself, leading to...

:schierke: thinking to herself. "What does she have that I don't?'

:schnoz:

:schierke: "Ooooooh." :farnese:
 
I'm sorry to say and contradict flagawax, but in my vision this episode was a lame. I'm really questioning, what Berserk is going to become? A fairytale? And of course, Miura is stalling the history in my vision, what can happen in that island that can't in Elfhelm? And of course, what is the purpose in stopping in this island?? So i agree with Aazealh:

Aazealh said:
Honestly? Not particularly in my opinion. It's more of a continuation of their history together, and I don't expect anything spectacular to happen soon. Miura's developing this really slowly and subtly. The payoff will likely be years from now.


Let's sit and wait. :daiba:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Armando said:
I'm sorry to say and contradict flagawax, but in my vision this episode was a lame. I'm really questioning, what Berserk is going to become? A fairytale? And of course, Miura is stalling the history in my vision, what can happen in that island that can't in Elfhelm? And of course, what is the purpose in stopping in this island??

I'm sorry to disagree with you myself in turn but just because you don't understand what's happening doesn't mean it's lame. You want to know what's happening now that couldn't happen on Elfhelm? An ancient evil god and possessed villagers on a desolated rock, that's what. :schierke:

And though we can't tell exactly what will result from it I can already assure you that it serves a purpose. You know what your comment reminds me of? People complaining that Guts and the others going in the Qliphoth to rescue Casca and Farnese was "filler" and "a waste of time". Look how that turned out.

Same goes for your comment about what Berserk is becoming. People have been saying that for nearly 10 years now, and they were already complaining before. So with that in mind you might want to ask yourself what Berserk is and has always been, especially since folk tales were clearly among its inspirations right from the start.

Armando said:
So i agree with Aazealh:

Let's sit and wait. :daiba:

I don't think you're really agreeing with me here, quite the contrary in fact. Even if we assume that nothing's going to happen right now between Schierke and Isidro, this little aside builds their relationship together, and that's why it's awesome. They have an evolving relationship that follows their characters as they develop through the story. That means whatever happens between them in volume 42 will feel completely natural, despite being very different from how they were in volume 24. What more could you ask for?

I mean a big part of why Berserk is so great is because Miura actually lays down the bases for events before said events happen instead of retrofitting them in like a lot of other authors do. I don't think that's very hard to realize, is it?
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
What's amusing to me is that once Berserk is complete all these complainers will talk about how awesome this section of the story was. :schierke:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Rhombaad said:
What's amusing to me is that once Berserk is complete all these complainers will talk about how awesome this section of the story was. :schierke:

Oh you probably won't need to wait that long. By volume 40 some people will already be complaining about where they think the story is headed compared to the awesomeness that was the Sea God in volume 35.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Aazealh said:
Oh you probably won't need to wait that long. By volume 40 some people will already be complaining about where they think the story is headed compared to the awesomeness that was the Sea God in volume 35.

Haha, you're probably right. It's sad that people can't enjoy Berserk as they read it.
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
What I find great about Berserk is that each arc of the story is unique. Yes, this is a fantasy manga and it has been from the start. As we read on, we're treated to new aspects of the world of Berserk, and as of volume 34's end, we were essentially given a new world!

It seems to me that the more supernatural or fantastic or magical certain plot elements get, the more people get upset. The least supernatural arc of the story so far was The Golden Age arc. And as classic as that section was, it was a huge 10-volume flashback.

It's the uniqueness of each new introduced conflict or element that makes this story great. When we see a new creature or form of magic that hasn't been introduced yet, I think in a way, it's meant to be off-putting. We think, for instance, "Mermaids? In my Berserk? That can't happen." Or how about, "Magic armor? In my Berserk? That can't happen." These new fantastic elements become integral parts of the world of Berserk before we know it. We're constantly jolted from our comfort zone when reading Berserk, and what we're all used to gets "messed up" from time to time. And I find that thrilling. You'd think in a world where all this crazy shit is constantly happening, a gang of ghost pirates wouldn't jump out at you. This is one of the many things that make Miura the great story teller he is.
 
Aazealh said:
You know what your comment reminds me of? People complaining that Guts and the others going in the Qliphoth to rescue Casca and Farnese was "filler" and "a waste of time". Look how that turned out.

That was an amazing part of the story, especially because we see a God Hand member take form there. We also had Skully there too which made it even that much more interesting. I don't understand why these people complain about Berserk's story, not once have I ever complained about it. What's the point in reading it if all your going to do is whine about the fact that Miura is bringing in new elements to the story. I think that's a great thing to do, keeps the reader very thrilled to see what's going to happen next. Well IMO anyways. :slan:
 
The reason these "asides" seem so painfull and distracting atm is because beserk comes out at a slower pace then we personally want to which sort of skews our sense of pacing for the story. Making it seem like certain parts are dragged out when in reality they aren't.

Also, this whole seagod stuff etc is more to set the stage for the new state of the world and to make the journey to Elfhelm be more then a short hop. Also, I really enjoy these parts. The parts with Griff however bored me to death. Also, like others have said, the story has been down the same path for years. It has become a little more mellow at the moment. But that was also true during the golden age before my mind got horribly scarred by full graphic demon rape. The story swings along all ranges of the spectrum. I will however admit that I personally am not a big fan of magical daggers and summoning of spirits etc because that sort of detracts from the "humanity" of the protagonists in their struggle. Muira does do it with style and subtlety tho and he doesn't pull retcons or other bullcrap deus ex machinas left and right like some other manga series do *cough Claymore.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Shadax said:
The reason these "asides" seem so painfull and distracting atm is because beserk comes out at a slower pace then we personally want to which sort of skews our sense of pacing for the story. Making it seem like certain parts are dragged out when in reality they aren't.
Who said they were painful and distracting? Anyway, it's no secret that people complain about the story regardless of what's happening. Trust me, I've seen every variation of complaint. "Not enough Griffith/Guts." "Too much Griffith/Guts." "When are they getting on/off the boat already?!?" Soon it will be "Are they STILL in Elfhelm?"

The parts with Griff however bored me to death.
Which was more boring, the epic battle with humans, apostles and chibishka as a towering god like creature smashed the nation's capital, or the showdown between Femto and Skull Knight? That whole portion of the manga (vol 34) was among the most exciting and climactic in the past 10 years.

But that was also true during the golden age before my mind got horribly scarred by full graphic demon rape.
There was pretty graphic stuff before the Eclipse, you know. If you're so fragile, maybe you should have stopped during the Donovan scene?

I will however admit that I personally am not a big fan of magical daggers and summoning of spirits etc because that sort of detracts from the "humanity" of the protagonists in their struggle.
I think you've been missing the point, distracted by the magicalness of these items. The introduction of magic has actually heightened the sense of impending doom and mortality for the characters. They have to use these enhanced weapons to stay alive because the stakes have heightened. And it was specifically because of the danger of the Berserk Armor that Guts had to grapple with what was most important to him during volume 27. Time and time again, Guts has to wrestle between his good and base desires as a result of using this magical armor.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Walter said:
Which was more boring, the epic battle with humans, apostles and chibishka as a towering god like creature smashed the nation's capital, or the showdown between Femto and Skull Knight? That whole portion of the

Seriously, I never understood how people are bored by the Griffith storylines. I love Guts as much as the next guy but I always found that the events surrounding Griffith are very exciting. It's not as chaotic and unpredictable as Guts' adventures, but that's the contrast. It's the balance that makes the Berserk saga so amazing. And yea, Griffiths stories couldn't be more epic. I mean that battle that ended with the merging of the worlds was bigger than the third lord of the rings movie! :troll:

that sort of detracts from the "humanity" of the protagonists in their struggle.

No way man. As Walter said it actually adds to the story. I mean, Berserk has many themes, and I think one of the big ones is about Guts retaining his humanity. Can he defeat these otherworldly demons without becoming a monster himself? With the addition of the armour the struggle becomes more difficult than ever, but it's always been there, since volume 1. I know what your saying but you need to look at it from a different angle, believe me it fits the story and makes it more amazing than ever before. :guts:
 
You're being a bit too hard on Shadax here, Walter. His first point, I think, is the root of most people's frustrations with Berserk. I've gotten used to the release pace by now, but especially if you're someone who read everything in a couple sittings between volumes 1 and 30 or so, then waiting a couple months for a new episode can be kind of brutal. Of course, if you go back and read one of those volumes that seemed horrifically dragged out in your perception, the pacing suddenly isn't a problem anymore. It's not reasonable but it's definitely natural to get impatient. Their problems are more related to the pacing of episode releases than the actual pacing or content of the story.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I don't think I was especially hard on him. I actually added to the point he was making about people complaining about the series by giving specific examples I've seen over the years. My point is that people will always complain about ignorant shit regardless of the circumstances.

As to your last point, I don't really have any pity for people who turn their impatience at the episode releases into anger at Miura or Berserk. They're not worth my time, and shouldn't even call themselves fans of the series. They're so intent on satisfying their fleeting, personal cravings that they don't realize that time is required for a series to reach its full potential.

How's that for hard? :daiba:
 
Walter said:
I don't think I was especially hard on him. I actually added to the point he was making about people complaining about the series by giving specific examples I've seen over the years. My point is that people will always complain about ignorant shit regardless of the circumstances.

As to your last point, I don't really have any pity for people who turn their impatience at the episode releases into anger at Miura or Berserk. They're not worth my time, and shouldn't even call themselves fans of the series. They're so intent on satisfying their fleeting, personal cravings that they don't realize that time is required for a series to reach its full potential.

How's that for hard? :daiba:

Well said Walter. More to the point, marathoning a new series in only few sittings is a classic give away of having done so without ever owning or purchasing a single volume of the manga.
 
Armando said:
I'm sorry to say and contradict flagawax, but in my vision this episode was a lame. I'm really questioning, what Berserk is going to become? A fairytale? And of course, Miura is stalling the history in my vision, what can happen in that island that can't in Elfhelm? And of course, what is the purpose in stopping in this island?? So i agree with Aazealh:
Let's sit and wait. :daiba:
Shadax said:
The reason these "asides" seem so painfull and distracting atm is because beserk comes out at a slower pace then we personally want to which sort of skews our sense of pacing for the story. Making it seem like certain parts are dragged out when in reality they aren't.

Also, this whole seagod stuff etc is more to set the stage for the new state of the world and to make the journey to Elfhelm be more then a short hop. Also, I really enjoy these parts. The parts with Griff however bored me to death. Also, like others have said, the story has been down the same path for years. It has become a little more mellow at the moment. But that was also true during the golden age before my mind got horribly scarred by full graphic demon rape. The story swings along all ranges of the spectrum. I will however admit that I personally am not a big fan of magical daggers and summoning of spirits etc because that sort of detracts from the "humanity" of the protagonists in their struggle.

...

Entourage-GTFO.gif
 

Madkreig

In the darkness I´ll wait..... Forever and ever...
Jaze1618 said:
Well said Walter. More to the point, marathoning a new series in only few sittings is a classic give away of having done so without ever owning or purchasing a single volume of the manga.

I must agree as well, it is probably more than likely that he hasn´t. But I would like to add that even if that is the case you should still be able to go back to waiting for the releases, just like with any other manga. It is thanks to the amount of time between the releases that Berserk is the extraordinary manga it is, and of course due to Miura. A weekly manga (or similar) wouldn´t have the time necessary to make that gorgeous art and well thought through storyline, every little detail matters and that is what makes Berserk such a great manga.

This story with the Sea God is probably affecting the continuation of the story in a vital way, or at least so I hope. I wait for what is to come. :rakshas:
 
Walter said:
Who said they were painful and distracting? Anyway, it's no secret that people complain about the story regardless of what's happening. Trust me, I've seen every variation of complaint. "Not enough Griffith/Guts." "Too much Griffith/Guts." "When are they getting on/off the boat already?!?" Soon it will be "Are they STILL in Elfhelm?"

Ok, since you felt the need to pick apart my post I"ll bite. It was just my assumption on how many people could feel about it. Not my personal view, nor yours perhaps, but there are quite a few people whom I know that feel/felt like this about certain parts. Not something important enough to quote me about. Quite a lot of people do feel like this, I was just giving my say on that from a personal view.

Walter said:
Which was more boring, the epic battle with humans, apostles and chibishka as a towering god like creature smashed the nation's capital, or the showdown between Femto and Skull Knight? That whole portion of the manga (vol 34) was among the most exciting and climactic in the past 10 years.

Opionons. The battle with Ghanishka felt like a farce to me and how big he was, was completely meaningless. We know what Griffith is capable off to an extent and that Ghanishka would be dead the second Griffith actually wanted him dead. So no, for me it felt like "yeah, get the charade on already" Again, opinions, we all get our kicks from different things. I like the parts with Guts a lot more since my biggest interest is how characters evolve and grow and overcome obstacles. In that regard Griffith is a much more stale character up to this point and everyone around him is more of a marionet on a string following a set path and plan. Once there is more development in those characters and more conflict, those parts will become more interesting to me.


Walter said:
There was pretty graphic stuff before the Eclipse, you know. If you're so fragile, maybe you should have stopped during the Donovan scene?

"Oh noes! someone made a slightly sarcastic remark to point out the contrast between the somewhat mellow time in the golden arc to almost abdrupt descent into full on demonic madness and now I feel the need to make a passive agressive personal attack"


Walter said:
I think you've been missing the point, distracted by the magicalness of these items. The introduction of magic has actually heightened the sense of impending doom and mortality for the characters. They have to use these enhanced weapons to stay alive because the stakes have heightened. And it was specifically because of the danger of the Berserk Armor that Guts had to grapple with what was most important to him during volume 27. Time and time again, Guts has to wrestle between his good and base desires as a result of using this magical armor.

Again, different view. Yes, I see your point, but I like it better if the humans win battles by their own skill and strength and growth. I was not talking so much about Gut's armor since that just brings a whole new extra dimension to the story and his struggle. I was talking about magical daggers and summoning spirits and mystical capes. FOR ME, that makes it feel like the characters aren't winning completely by their own merits anymore once they start using those things in more battles. So yes, for me that cheapens those characters a (slight) bit. And with Guts, using his armor also brings a great burden so having it makes him vulnerable and still very human at the same time so to his thing there is a something to balance it out. Just minor complaints, just how I personally feel about those things. Do I still like the story? Well, yes.

If anyone feels offended by me not thinking Griffith is all that interesting up to this point, well though shit. Just go and quote my post with some generic internet gif that shows your outrage about my opinion enforcing your badassery. Oh wait..was already done.. If you like the parts with Griffith better and simply disagree with my views, more power to ya. To each his own.

To get back on track. I am really curious what the deal with that new girl is. What are her motivations exactly and what role will she play? Really exciting stuff to me, as is that mysterious sea-god. Darn breaks making me wait to find out what is going to happen :(
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Shadax said:
It was just my assumption on how many people could feel about it. Not my personal view, nor yours perhaps, but there are quite a few people whom I know that feel/felt like this about certain parts. Not something important enough to quote me about. Quite a lot of people do feel like this, I was just giving my say on that from a personal view.

I'd say the way you worded it didn't make it sound like it was just an assumption of the way "people" perceive it. Regardless, you're missing Walter's point that "people" have been complaining about stupid shit for as long as "people" have been reading Berserk. That's because the people in question are idiots. That's all there is to it. Your attempt to explain that behavior based on your assumptions is not only redundant but misled and completely unnecessary. You're right though, it's not important.

Shadax said:
Opionons. The battle with Ghanishka felt like a farce to me and how big he was, was completely meaningless. We know what Griffith is capable off to an extent and that Ghanishka would be dead the second Griffith actually wanted him dead. So no, for me it felt like "yeah, get the charade on already" Again, opinions, we all get our kicks from different things.

Pardon my French but my, what a load of shit this is. His size was completely meaningless? How about the whole "bringing the astral world into the material world" business? Did that fly over your head? And the gigantic tree he became might very well play a role in the future. Yeah we knew Griffith would win. We knew that before Ganishka (please make the effort of spelling characters' names properly) was even introduced. That's not what the ultimate goal of the encounter was about though. It was to bring the worlds together, just as the humans and apostles in Griffith's army were brought together almost effortlessly under the stress of their first truly challenging battle. And wasn't it also simply cool to see this huge battle of monsters against monsters? And to be introduced to Irvine's apostle form? To see him and Sonia getting closer? But I guess those don't count to you.

Anyway, if Ganishka's giant transformation, the ensuing battle, Femto vs SK and the advent of Falconia & Fantasia only got a "get the charade on already" from you then I truly pity you (and I say this without malice).

Shadax said:
I see your point, but I like it better if the humans win battles by their own skill and strength and growth.

Supernatural equipment does nothing to change this. Or should every character be fighting bare-handed? And it's not like receiving new equipment made anyone instantly much stronger than they were before. They all had to learn to use their equipment, they had their failures and they're growing with it as fighters. Yet they'd still get their ass handed to them by an apostle (as shown during the battle at Flora's mansion).

Shadax said:
I was not talking so much about Guts armor since that just brings a whole new extra dimension to the story and his struggle. I was talking about magical daggers and summoning spirits and mystical capes. FOR ME, that makes it feel like the characters aren't winning completely by their own merits anymore once they start using those things in more battles.

Ah, so Guts' magical equipment (and his non-magical equipment like grenades and a repeating crossbow) are totally fine but for other characters they're not because... of what? Is Guts not winning by his own merit when he has to use explosives to defeat an enemy? In fact, is he really winning completely by his own merit considering the fact he uses a much better weapon than those he fights against? Not to mention he benefits from free, unlimited magical healing thanks to Puck. How arbitrary.

And by "magical daggers and summoning spirits and mystical capes" I take it you mean the one magical dagger Isidro use, the one cloak Serpico wears and Schierke, the one character who summons spirits. Schierke is a child who cannot fight conventionally. Are you saying that to win a fight by her own merit in your view she should be killing monsters with a sword? Is that really where you want to go? As for Isidro, he's also just a kid himself, and really his dagger doesn't give an incredible edge in battle. I'd argue that Guts' grenades have been more useful to him than the dagger so far, actually. Especially since he uses it in combination with a standard weapon, and that one of his biggest solo battles (in Vritannis against the pirates) has been without said dagger. So please, tell me in detail how it lowers his merit in battle when he fights giant monsters.

That leaves us with Serpico, whose equipment actually has been helping him a lot, it's true. But then again, he's been using it against supernatural monsters he could have done nothing against otherwise, and it's not like it's made him so extraordinarily powerful that he can do much more than help Guts. In fact he still managed to get himself wounded half the times he tried something on his own so far (e.g. against the trolls in Enoch, against the Makara on the beach). Again, like Walter said, the equipment Serpico received doesn't even make up for how drastically the stakes have been raised. Look again at the fight against Daiba and Ganishka in Vritannis and try to tell me how Serpico would have done "on his own merit" with a simple sword.

And parallelly to all this, Serpico's insecurities have only grown. These new abilities have done nothing to reinforce his self-confidence and he seems more confused than ever by his situation. You can add to that the fact Schierke's abilities hurt the confidence of more than one character, particularly Isidro (and it drove Farnese to become her student). It's not like all those elements have had no repercussions other than during fights. And aren't those the aspects of the story you said interested you? Because it doesn't look like you're taking them into account here.

Shadax said:
If anyone feels offended by me not thinking Griffith is all that interesting up to this point, well though shit.

Yeah man, and if you're bothered that people reply to what you post, well "TOUGH SHIT" too. Here, I'll even throw in a complementary image macro:

DWI.jpg


Shadax said:
To get back on track. I am really curious what the deal with that new girl is. What are her motivations exactly and what role will she play? Really exciting stuff to me, as is that mysterious sea-god.

I'd quote my own posts but I'm sure you can read the thread to find out. :iva:
 
Amen Aazealh, sorry but I had to say it.

By the way, if Isma eventually joins the party that would cover the 3 elements, only earth would remain. This is just an opinion but maybe Miura is building the party in order to introduce some kind of help from the 4 elemental Kings, since they are probably the only entities close to the God hand in power terms (just speculation though).
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
pjboom said:
Amen Aazealh, sorry but I had to say it.

By the way, if Isma eventually joins the party that would cover the 3 elements, only earth would remain. This is just an opinion but maybe Miura is building the party in order to introduce some kind of help from the 4 elemental Kings, since they are probably the only entities close to the God hand in power terms (just speculation though).
Well, the axe that Guts didn't accept was of the Earth element. Not saying that rules out another person joining with Earth though.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
pjboom said:
Amen Aazealh, sorry but I had to say it.

Well thanks. :serpico:

pjboom said:
By the way, if Isma eventually joins the party that would cover the 3 elements, only earth would remain. This is just an opinion but maybe Miura is building the party in order to introduce some kind of help from the 4 elemental Kings, since they are probably the only entities close to the God hand in power terms (just speculation though).

Possibly, though I'm not sure he's going to give each member their own favorite element. Regarding Earth anyway I always thought it would fit Azan perfectly.
 
Top Bottom