Episode 330

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well, that pretty perfectly lived up to our expectations, I think the only reason nobody was certain
Gambino
would make such a dramatic appearance is because we dared not even dream it. Just goes to show once again that the birthday boy delivers beyond our wildest dreams. :slan:

Jaze1618 said:
I was really surprised by the few panels involving the creative use of the sword hilt.

Not his most creative use of a hilt though. :guts:

tothehilt.jpg
 
So awesome, cannot wait to get a translation, although the pictures are really quite the gift :ganishka:

It might just be me, but
isn't the sons armor reminiscent of the sea god, or maybe the statue we saw of it a few episodes back?
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Oh man, the artwork was beautiful! and Aazealh called it! Guts got his signature helmet this episode! :schnoz:
 

Th3Branded0ne

I'll be back.
Not only his helmet but the sword too. Not only we got more backstory of Guts and his character, but also on the armor. This just goes to show how much Miura really cares about his characters. It was very touching seeing those last panels of Guts saying bye to Chich's flower.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
The son's armor is Tudor-made, full plate. Gambino's advice to cope with nobles' steel mail was to pin them down. Guts then reflects on the fact nobles make good hostages in battle. The viscount tells his son that killing humans isn't unlike hunting, and tells him to just pretend he's killing a wild boar... The son itself is quite the thing too, guy liked to behead livestock, and he even planned to behead children from their land until his father forbid him from doing so... The superintendent (or whatever that guy is) is pretty sympathetic towards Guts throughout the whole affair. After the battle, Martino tells Guts that thanks to him he could tell the main army where the castle is. Guts isn't amused. In the end, in the field, he remembers what Chich had asked him... "Will they recognize me, will they really?"

His final narration is that he still doesn't know if it was real or a dream, and that this is the unforgettable memory of his youth.

Jaze1618 said:
I was really surprised by the few panels involving the creative use of the sword hilt.

It's pretty cool actually, unorthodox fighting techniques like that were used historically (holding the sword by the blade and using its pommel as a bludgeon on a helmet for example). And it was really neat to see Guts fight with a small (and dull) sword and have to compose with it however he could (not to mention that he's still weak from his recent recovery), striking the joints and such.

Gobolatula said:
An absolutely magnificent episode. Breathtaking artwork.
Rest in Peace, Chich. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

To the very end her sacrifice saved Guts' life. If the flower hadn't been suddenly blown away, he'd have been sniped by that arrow... Seeing the flower trampled by a hoof afterwards made the ending even more bittersweet than I had expected... :judo:

Chaos said:
It might just be me, but
isn't the sons armor reminiscent of the sea god, or maybe the statue we saw of it a few episodes back?

The design on the front is a bit reminiscent of the folds on the idol's face yeah.

Truder said:
and Aazealh called it! Guts got his signature helmet this episode! :schnoz:

:slan: From what the guy tells him though it seems he already had the equipment; they'd just confiscated it when they captured him.
 
Th3Branded0ne said:
Not only his helmet but the sword too.

Question about Guts' signature golden age sword, it looks like he has it starting on page 22, but I can't tell if this episode actually shows him getting it at any point before that. I'm not seeing any evidence that it does, but I am wondering if perhaps something in the text refers to it in the pages leading up to #22?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Jaze1618 said:
Question about Guts' signature golden age sword, it looks like he has it starting on page 22, but I can't tell if this episode actually shows him getting it at any point before that. I'm not seeing any evidence that it does, but I am wondering if perhaps something in the text refers to it in the pages leading up to #22?

He had it before his capture, same as the rest of his equipment. He just got it back after being freed.
 

Grail

Feel the funk blast
Aazealh said:
... The son itself is quite the thing too, guy liked to behead livestock, and he even planned to behead children from their land until his father forbid him from doing so...
Haha, jeez. To think that I was feeling sorry for the guy! Now I'm glad he got a bunch of holes poked in him. :badbone:
 

puella

Berserk forever
Grail said:
Haha, jeez. To think that I was feeling sorry for the guy! Now I'm glad he got a bunch of holes poked in him. :badbone:

Thinking how cruel the viscount and his son are (idiot father, idiot son like Guts said), I hope they are put in the same prison and disappear soon like the prisoners. :zodd: It's possible since the castle was seized.

I expected Guts to be fully recovered so that he can neutralize the son instantly. His wounds are healed and his fever is gone thanks to Chich but not his strengh, which I didn't think of. He was sick, had big wounds and couldn't eat anything for days. The ending is harshier than I wished it to be, but I should admit Chich's beautiful sacrifice saved the world's best swordsman's life. Otherwise, Guts might be killed futilely by a fat moron. And we should also keep in mind that Guts is quite often saved by elves. :iva: Lastly, it's touching to see how young Guts always kept Gambino's lessons in mind. It's a really really great episode.

No matter what other manga Miura will work on after Berserk I'm 100% sure it'll be a masterwork, even if it's a shoujo manga! Miura's ability is beyond that of a mangaka. He's a truly great storyteller. Too bad no movie nor animation can reproduce the quality of the manga.
 
With all the recent attention given to Gambino in this flash back, I am looking hoping for some future parallels with Guts' role in shaping Isidro as a better fighter.
 
Jaze1618 said:
With all the recent attention given to Gambino in this flash back, I am looking hoping for some future parallels with Guts' role in shaping Isidro as a better fighter.

I've been wondering the same about Gambino getting trust back into the limelight. Sure its understandable that Gambino would somehow have to be featured if your telling a story about Guts before he met the Hawks. But this voyage to Elfhelm has seemed very retrospective for Guts. He's almost reminiscing about all the paths and people that have shaped him to this point. I wonder if when we begin the process of repairing Casca's mind, or while we're on the island for that matter, that in the process Guts might meet Gambino again in some sort of spiritual form. Or have a moment when he comes to grips with what Gambino did for him, whether good or bad.

I just think Miura wouldn't revive such an important character like Gambino, solely for a flashback. Especially now that we seem to be nearing a major crossroads for Guts.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Amazing episode. I still can't get over the fact that after all these years reading Berserk I'm sitting here looking at new pages of Gambino right now! Just seeing young Guts wielding a sword like that is blowing my mind. And not to sound like a pussy or anything but every once in a while something in Berserk will make me squirm. Seeing Guts swing the hilt into the kids eye was one of those moments. :guts:

This triple episode flashback was so beautiful. As puella said, Miura is master storyteller. This self contained little story is all the proof you need.
 
A fantastic episode – I enjoyed the sword fight and I was quite surprised to see Martino coming back to save Guts. Also the last panel was indeed very beautiful.
Now I can wait patiently during the upcoming three months , because this compact story sure gave me a satisfactory dose of both beautiful artwork and an emotionally filled tale.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
enjoy said:
Now I can wait patiently during the upcoming three months , because this compact story sure gave me a satisfactory dose of both beautiful artwork and an emotionally filled tale.

I feel the same way. This may be the most satisfied I've been after a three episode run before a break (mainly due to the fact that these three episodes were relatively self-contained). The last three episodes are another example (in a long line of them) of why Berserk is so great.

I can't think of another series (TV, novel, or otherwise) that has stayed this good over such a long period of time. Some might argue it's gotten better as time has gone on (I'm one of them, by the way :iva:).
 
Rhombaad said:
I feel the same way. This may be the most satisfied I've been after a three episode run before a break (mainly due to the fact that these three episodes were relatively self-contained). The last three episodes are another example (in a long line of them) of why Berserk is so great.

I can't think of another series (TV, novel, or otherwise) that has stayed this good over such a long period of time. Some might argue it's gotten better as time has gone on (I'm one of them, by the way :iva:).

I'll second that. Having this boyhood arc is just...it's awesome, and it has me quite content until the next episode. I think what I love most is how natural it felt, not like it was something thrown in for the sake of throwing it in, you know (as if Miura would do such a thing :troll:)
Such a great transition between the sea god and whatever happens next!
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Soooo, next episode, arrival at Elfhelm or switch to Falconia? My money on Elfhelm or near Elfhelm. What do you guys think? (Is it appropriate to ask that in that thread?)
 
These three episodes were beautiful to me.
I really grew to love Chicchi's character, even though her "panel time" was short. In the end, her story was somewhat bittersweet, but I think it turned out to be a very warming experience for Guts, in a world surrounded by death and sadism.

Edit: Yeah, sorry about the episode/chapter thing. I came back to edit the post to find it had already been fixed.
Way to make a first impression!
:farnese:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Arles said:
These three episodes were beautiful to me.
I really grew to love Chicchi's character, even though her "panel time" was short. In the end, her story was somewhat bittersweet, but I think it turned out to be a very warming experience for Guts, in a world surrounded by death and sadism.
Yep, it was a pretty freaking fantastic set of episodes. I kind of hope we get a moment of recognition in Elfhelm when/if Guts sees another elf similar to Chich.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
RaffoBaffo said:
New episode?

http://www.younganimal.com/magazine/next.html
Thanks for checking on it, I keep forgetting...

The text is too small for me to parse, and it's strange for Berserk to get its own little box, apart from the rest of the series, but over on the Japanese boards, they're acting like Berserk is indeed returning in the next issue of YA (due out Oct. 12). And according to that announcement, it seems that it'll be a slightly longer episode (24 pg).

I wouldn't call that confirmation just yet, but it's certainly a reason to be optimistic.
 
RaffoBaffo said:
New episode?

http://www.younganimal.com/magazine/next.html

Here's to hoping we finally see Elfhelm looming on the horizon towards the end of next episode! It seems surreal to me that we're actually just a couple of episodes away from it, and I've been following the series a short time compared to other members (4 years). I can't imagine how someone who has been waiting for it for 10 years must be feeling about 3 weeks from now.
 
It says it has been a long time, the series is resuming. With a small recap saying guts and company leaving the sea God's island and heading towards Elfheim.

:D thank god finally.
 
It does seem close, but I wonder if that can happen within one episode. Guts did just get pulled out of the Sea God after a debilitating fight. Not to mention we haven't really got a proper farewell from the merrows yet. And maybe I need to reread the past few episodes, but they are still in the process of figuring out just what is going on with the world.

/edit Just checked the Berserk Encyclopedia, and wow. It's already been over 20 episodes since we've last seen Falconia. Doesn't feel that distant. And given that we are in the Elf Island chapter, I don't expect the story to deviate from that too far, but I still think there are a lot of places for the story to go before dropping us off there.
 
Top Bottom