Episode 316

Oburi

All praise Grail
Wow this preview is looking awesome. As others have said, Guts ripping apart that eye is just brutal, and those children are sure as hell creepy.
 
I don't believe we have see the full episode yet, but interesting how the two tentacle demon children don't appear to have a sea cucumber or snail in tow.

Great previews so far.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Jaze1618 said:
I don't believe we have see the full episode yet, but interesting how the two tentacle demon children don't appear to have a sea cucumber or snail in tow.

They most likely do. Like you said, we haven't seen the full episode.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
My favorite preview shot has to be when the Beast hears the child's voice and snaps its head around like a confused dog. :ganishka:

Aazealh said:
Schierke warns them that getting close to the battle is now very dangerous because of Guts' state, and she remarks that the power of the armor has become a lot more powerful than before and that it emits a very strong Od.
Aazealh said:
Schierke's comment about the armor also makes me curious. Is it just the full moon, or an after-effect of the fusion of the worlds?

Beside the possibility of the talisman weakening is that perhaps Guts' bond with the armor is simply becoming naturally stronger, like the elementals to their masters. It could even be a developed resistance in reaction to Schierke's previous interventions. This could also be in part what the Beast was talking about when saying Schierke wouldn't be able to control him, like in Vritannis and perhaps in general, in the future. The Beast could even have a hand in Schierke's current problem penetrating the armor; obviously that part of Guts' mind is well aware of her at this point and doesn't want her interfering, so if a part of Guts himself is aware of Schierke and doesn't want her to intervene, that in some combination with the armor's increased power might be enough to keep her out of his head.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
My favorite preview shot has to be when the Beast hears the child's voice and snaps its head around like a confused dog. :ganishka:

The way I've been interpreting it with those parts of panels is that Guts isn't looking at Casca as the Beast of Darkness tries to overwhelm his mind (searching for more slugs to slice?), and the child brings her to his attention specifically to save his sanity. Not unlike what Schierke did in volume 27, reminding him who he is through who he has to protect.

Griffith said:
Beside the possibility of the talisman weakening is that perhaps Guts' bond with the armor is simply becoming naturally stronger, like the elementals to their masters.

Definitely possible, but Schierke's line about the armor's Od being more powerful makes me think it's related to the armor itself and not to its bond with Guts. Not unlike the way magic becomes stronger during full moons in general as opposed to Serpico being good at using his equipment.

Griffith said:
It could even be a developed resistance in reaction to Schierke's previous interventions. This could also be in part what the Beast was talking about when saying Schierke wouldn't be able to control him, like in Vritannis and perhaps in general, in the future. The Beast could even have a hand in Schierke's current problem penetrating the armor; obviously that part of Guts' mind is well aware of her at this point and doesn't want her interfering, so if a part of Guts himself is aware of Schierke and doesn't want her to intervene, that in some combination with the armor's increased power might be enough to keep her out of his head.

Hmm, I don't know about that. I took the Beast's line in episode 290 as referring specifically to the incident in Vritannis (see what it says about it being "just one moment" or a "one-time thing"). And while it's a possibility, I'm not sure Guts in general or the Beast of Darkness in particular could have the necessary focus and/or awareness to prevent her from intruding while using the armor in battle (Not that we know anything about mental resistance to an astral exploration of one's mind... Maybe we'll learn some things when the time will come for Casca to be cured.). At this point I assume it's just the flow of the armor's Od being too strong for her to do anything.
 

Walter

Administrator
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It's not over yet. Can't wait to see what the child' interaction does to Guts.

Isidro acting tough in front of Isma was :casca: :farnese:
 

Jesterhead

I ain't mad at it!
Well, I sure am glad that this episode came at the beginning of a run of pre-publications, rather than the end!

Absolutely can't wait to see the outcome of this encounter! :ubik:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
It's not over yet. Can't wait to see what the child' interaction does to Guts.

Yeah... I'm going to stick to my belief that he'll clear his vision and not just blast him back this time. :guts:

Walter said:
Isidro acting tough in front of Isma was :casca: :farnese:

Haha yeah, and Farnese cut that tentacle pretty good too! :daiba:

The kids managed to rejoin the group pretty quickly anyway. I didn't think they were that close, but I guess Isma meant it when she said she knew a shortcut. Also, I find it extremely interesting that the Beast breaks the chains while Guts is facing his friends without Casca (when he saw her running nothing happened), and that it is Casca that will apparently be used to bring him back to reason. Miura is really strongly reasserting how important she is to him.
 
Excellent as always! (love the panel with the Beast)
Guts slashing on the slug, you can even imagine the speed of his movements!
Can't wait to see what happen with the child. :guts:
 

Grail

Feel the funk blast
Aazealh said:
Haha yeah, and Farnese cut that tentacle pretty good too! :daiba:

That was one of the highlights of the episode for me. We've seen Farnese hold off monsters before, but this time she seems to have gained some confidence in her baddy-hacking skills. I don't remember seeing it in the previews either, so that made it more of a pleasant surprise! :guts:
 
Agreed, Farnese being bad ass was quite the treat and surprise. She barely even flinched! (except when the blood hit her face but cmon, understandable)
 
Damn good read!!

On the bottom left panel of page 4 it appears that their are 3 burning children tentacles instead of 2, no?

Also, interesting that there did not appear to be a cucumber or snail in tow. Maybe it isn't an important part of the story that will never be given an explanation, but Miura is always so consistent that I personally am excited to learn more about the slug/cucumber/tentacle combo and how this observation will hopefully all tie in to an explanation that is eventually given (perhaps indirectly).
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Grail said:
That was one of the highlights of the episode for me. We've seen Farnese hold off monsters before, but this time she seems to have gained some confidence in her baddy-hacking skills.

Yeah, I never cease to be amazed at her character development. It's so subtle and progressive you don't really see it as it happens, only in retrospect, when considering the big picture.

Draculoid said:
Agreed, Farnese being bad ass was quite the treat and surprise. She barely even flinched! (except when the blood hit her face but cmon, understandable)

That made it even better. Unwittingly badass! :farnese:

Jaze1618 said:
On the bottom left panel of page 4 it appears that their are 3 burning children tentacles instead of 2, no?

Nope, the one on the left is just looped over itself a bit. You'll see it if you look closely.

Jaze1618 said:
Also, interesting that there did not appear to be a cucumber or snail in tow. Maybe it isn't an important part of the story that will never be given an explanation, but Miura is always so consistent that I personally am excited to learn more about the slug/cucumber/tentacle combo and how this observation will hopefully all tie in to an explanation that is eventually given (perhaps indirectly).

Those might be the same guys that hang around the cave's entrance. Guarding it maybe?


Anyway, this episode is really rich in developments. For example, the panels of the Beast of Darkness gnawing at its chains are amazing (and worrying!), but what's really interesting to me is that Guts didn't actually attack his friends. On the beach in episode 242 he lunged at them almost instantly, but this time he had two shots at Casca that he didn't take (what's more, it looks like he might have deliberately saved her), and he stood still while looking at the others (granted, it didn't take long before the Moonlight Boy intervened). Which I think means that while the chains are indeed thin and fragile (referring to the Beast's speech in episode 290), they're still enough to hold him back a moment.

Yet we're far from an ideal scenario... Who knows how long he'd last by himself, without the Moonlight Boy to save the day. And then there's this business with the armor's Od being stronger. Is it permanent or just an effect of the full moon? If only temporary it could give us hope for a little more restraint in the future, but nothing's guaranteed at this point. It could keep getting worse instead. On top of that, a stronger Od and a prolonged use mean a worsening of the side effects. Blindness, deafness, loss of dexterity... Guts has a lot to lose here, and it's already started.

P.S. Isma screaming on the middle panel of page 3 is just adorable. A true damsel-in-distress for Isidro to save.
 
Aazealh said:
Anyway, this episode is really rich in developments. For example, the panels of the Beast of Darkness gnawing at its chains are amazing (and worrying!)...

OMG I know, I thought that was the most gorgeous page in the entire .... EPISODE.... It really is a beautiful and very powerful image.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Isma's reaction to the battle really show her good heart. Even though she's been an outcast, she worried about the villagers and rushed to the kids when they showed up, not realizing they'd been transformed. After that Schierke breaks the news that there's no human left in the village except for them (meaning the whole group). Isidro wonders why Isma's intact and Schierke explains that it's thanks to her mother's talisman. Isma is pretty dispirited and Isidro plays cool by telling her to wait for them there, not to see the hideous monsters and so on. Then Schierke tells him he'd better wait there as well, destroying his impression. :ubik:

After that she explains why she can't reproduce what happened in Vritannis, but will try to dive into him, to bring his consciousness back. Further on, Magnifico comments on how Guts is even stronger than usual. When Guts saved Casca, Farnese thinks that he must still be conscious somehow, but Schierke tells her not to approach. And on another note, in the shots of the Beast of Darkness and the armor's helmet, there's also another positive word besides "protect" that can't really be translated as is, but could mean "sanity" or "consciousness" (in opposition to "madness").
 
Aazealh said:
Also, I find it extremely interesting that the Beast breaks the chains while Guts is facing his friends without Casca (when he saw her running nothing happened), and that it is Casca that will apparently be used to bring him back to reason. Miura is really strongly reasserting how important she is to him.

I noticed that as well, on the last few pages my emotions just clicked all of a sudden. And I don't even know what the text is saying. This is definitely a great prelude. :guts:
 

Graywords

Bettychu, I choose YOU!
Aazealh said:
Isma is pretty dispirited and Isidro plays cool by telling her to wait for them there, not to see the hideous monsters and so on. Then Schierke tells him he'd better wait there as well, destroying his impression. :ubik:

Yeah, I got a kick out of that too. Isidro didn't do a half bad job of saying something cool, either.

"Even if they ARE monsters... you probably shouldn't be watching people you know getting sliced up." :badbone:

A shame his skills aren't quite up to the level of his mouth yet, and Schierke wasted no time in reminding him! :schierke:

Great to see a new ep coming in three weeks, too. It won't be too long a wait until we find out what the effects of little Mac Tonight's powers are on the Berserk Armor.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Graywords said:
A shame his skills aren't quite up to the level of his mouth yet, and Schierke wasted no time in reminding him! :schierke:

She'll come around, it's just a matter of time. :badbone:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Graywords said:
It won't be too long a wait until we find out what the effects of little Mac Tonight's powers are on the Berserk Armor.
While I'm also very curious to find out exactly what will happen next, I don't think we should be too surprised if it's the same result as in Ep 243. It's even creating the same-looking uhh ... "sparks," on the Beast. Of course, Guts had help coming back from that state through Schierke. And Farnese is closest... maybe I'm just overthinking this...
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
While I'm also very curious to find out exactly what will happen next, I don't think we should be too surprised if it's the same result as in Ep 243. It's even creating the same-looking uhh ... "sparks," on the Beast. Of course, Guts had help coming back from that state through Schierke. And Farnese is closest... maybe I'm just overthinking this...

I don't think you're far off, though unless the child also manages to bring Guts out of it somehow, as Aaz theorizes, I don't think Schierke or Farnese are prepared to help him anyway judging by how long it's taken Schierke to reach him in the past. I don't know if blasting Guts in the face alone is the best way to get across the point that they're not enemies though.

What's striking to me here isn't the focus on Casca, that's par for the course, but the symbolic imagery of a dysfunctional family with the child embracing mom while reaching out to a wayward father.
 
Aazealh said:
Isma's reaction to the battle really show her good heart. Even though she's been an outcast, she worried about the villagers and rushed to the kids when they showed up, not realizing they'd been transformed. After that Schierke breaks the news that there's no human left in the village except for them (meaning the whole group). Isidro wonders why Isma's intact and Schierke explains that it's thanks to her mother's talisman. Isma is pretty dispirited

I'm guessing the assumption up until now has been that Isma would be joining the group on their journey to Skellig? I suppose this further makes that likely now that she's the only remaining human in the village that hasn't been transformed?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
JezzaX said:
I'm guessing the assumption up until now has been that Isma would be joining the group on their journey to Skellig? I suppose this further makes that likely now that she's the only remaining human in the village that hasn't been transformed?

I would say there were at least as many people thinking she might only be a temporary character while they were on the island, but the death of every other inhabitant certainly bolsters the possibility of her joining more permanently. Actually, the consensus on her fate was that "her people will show up and she will be reunited with them," which doesn't preclude either scenario, interestingly enough.
 
Griffith said:
I would say there were at least as many people thinking she might only be a temporary character while they were on the island, but the death of everyone else there certainly bolsters the possibility of her joining more permanently.

If she does join, then I would like to think she would have a significant part to play when they reach Elfhelm. It would silence those who were getting up in arms saying that the ship arriving here was 'filler' and not significant to the story.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
JezzaX said:
It would silence those who were getting up in arms saying that the ship arriving here was 'filler' and not significant to the story.

I think this episode alone should silence them. Besides, they should know better after everything we've read up until now. Miura doesn't do filler. :miura:
 
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