Episode 332

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Fantastic episode. Seeing humans organizing to manage the trolls, only to then be overwhelmed by the cockatrice's power really makes me excited to see every aspect of this new world order. It's just fascinating.

Aaz has already provided a great summary, so I don't have a lot to add, other than that the leader of the Falcons troop appears to be Raban. Could just be a bearded guy, but he's shown prominently in a few panels, so it made me wonder. He also seems a little surprised to see Irvine appear, as if Irvine is independent of this troop. Wonder if he was hunting the cockatrice, or if he's there to deal with larger creatures.

Aazealh said:
while I'm sure Rickert would be curious to know what Griffith is up to, I don't think he'd be eager to join the ranks of his sycophants. Especially after seeing what he's seeing in this very episode: Irvine transforming. Don't forget that Rickert's seen apostles butcher his friends as well, even though he wasn't present during the Occultation ceremony.
Agreed on all fronts. However, I think Rickert may resist at first, but ultimately enter Falconia for protection. Afterall, he has Erica's safety to consider. As I've said before, Rickert being a reliable "witness" to the events inside Falconia, as someone who knew Griffith as a man, would provide a very valuable perspective.

Some fun reading on this topic from this time last year: http://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=12921.0
 

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
Aazealh said:
They're presented to us as both the masters and the embodiments of their respective elements, not the same characterization that the Idea of Evil received in episode 83. And they're just not called like that either, which is a stronger indication for me than it might think (I don't believe Miura would have missed the opportunity if he had meant it to be).

Yeah. I think I wandered off of what I was originally trying to wonder about, which wasn't meant to be about the Kings but rather wondering if less sophisticated minds could give rise to Ideas or lesser beings like that one river spirit.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
the leader of the Falcons troop appears to be Raban. Could just be a bearded guy, but he's shown prominently in a few panels, so it made me wonder.

Yeah, I asked myself the same thing. Looks like him but I can't be sure.

Walter said:
He also seems a little surprised to see Irvine appear, as if Irvine is independent of this troop. Wonder if he was hunting the cockatrice, or if he's there to deal with larger creatures.

There certainly is a lot of exciting new game around for a hunter nowadays. :carcus:

Walter said:
Agreed on all fronts. However, I think Rickert may resist at first, but ultimately enter Falconia for protection. Afterall, he has Erica's safety to consider. As I've said before, Rickert being a reliable "witness" to the events inside Falconia, as someone who knew Griffith as a man, would provide a very valuable perspective.

Yep, that seems the likeliest outcome given the current events.

Lithrael said:
Yeah. I think I wandered off of what I was originally trying to wonder about, which wasn't meant to be about the Kings but rather wondering if less sophisticated minds could give rise to Ideas or lesser beings like that one river spirit.

To be honest I still think the process may be somewhat similar, but not necessarily involving "minds". Maybe the Od of a place (or several similar places) could simply give birth to such a spirit after a while, embodying its nature and elemental qualities.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Damn Irvine looks like a total badass taking off his hat.

Does anyone think the forest itself reflects the new world? On page 1 for example, the trees are massive and completely dwarf the wagons. Reminds me of episode 179: Tattered World when the kids are talking about how they feel like they are inside a dream even though it's the same forest they always play in. If so that would be awesome because it would possibly mean new fantastic locations, which is just as exciting to me as all the new creatures.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
Does anyone think the forest itself reflects the new world? [...] If so that would be awesome because it would possibly mean new fantastic locations, which is just as exciting to me as all the new creatures.

Yeah I think the forest may have been altered to reflect the astral world, and I'm sure there'll be some cool places to see in the future.
 
A giant chicken :???:..........wasn't expecting that one. Kinda reminds me of Rodan though. Time to go back to Berserk hibernation mode, wake me when we get another episode.

All kidding aside, I really like how Miura keeps upgrading Rickerts repeating crossbow. From big hulking box to mounted defense turret, can't wait to see what Rickets going to create next.
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
jackson_hurley said:
I'm wondering what Rickerts thinks on page 22 when he sees Irvine transformed?
"Fuck you."

Actually he's thinking "That's -- "

He knows Irvine's one of those monsters that killed his fellow Falcons.
 
Gobolatula said:
"Fuck you."

Actually he's thinking "That's -- "

He knows Irvine's one of those monsters that killed his fellow Falcons.

I'm pretty sure Irvine wasn't at the Eclipse. Or at least, Rickert never saw him.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
JoeZeon said:
I'm pretty sure Irvine wasn't at the Eclipse. Or at least, Rickert never saw him.

No, but he knows an apostle when he sees one, and that's what he's thinking as he sees Irvine transform.
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Im a bit bummed that they cut back to the mainland.. but that chicken monster makes it feel not so bad :serpico:. I didn't know that Cockatrice's were a thing. I looked them up, interesting stuff! Miura really does his research. It actually got me really excited to see what other mythical creatures he willing to show. (i know I want to see that Hydra again) :daiba:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Truder said:
Im a bit bummed that they cut back to the mainland..

Don't be, we'll get back to Guts & co. soon enough. :guts:

Truder said:
that chicken monster makes it feel not so bad :serpico:. I didn't know that Cockatrice's were a thing. I looked them up, interesting stuff! Miura really does his research. It actually got me really excited to see what other mythical creatures he willing to show. (i know I want to see that Hydra again) :daiba:

Here's actually an old thread about what mythological creatures have been shown and which ones might be shown in the future. I guess a few names can be crossed from the list now. :slan:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well, this was literally a fantastic turn of events. Irvine continues to shine and, picking up where he left off, is suddenly the second most prominent and developed of Griffith's lieutenants. I don't have much to say about the cocktrice other than it sure lives up to its name with those big, ahem, wattles of his. Bazuso would approve.:carcus:

Walter said:
the leader of the Falcons troop appears to be Raban. Could just be a bearded guy, but he's shown prominently in a few panels, so it made me wonder.
Aazealh said:
Yeah, I asked myself the same thing. Looks like him but I can't be sure.

Excellent thought, but such conservatism from our resident geozoddologist! I compared our helmeted friend here to recent depictions of Raban, including his face similarly covered by Kushan disguise, and there's definitely a resemblance in the shape of the beard, eyes, and eyebrows beyond them just being bearded guys. Still, there are minor discrepancies in the shape of the eyes and mouth, no more than in different panels/angles of Raban though. More notably inconsistent with Raban is the eyebrows, mustache and hair in general appear thinner, as well as his admittedly obscured face, which makes him look younger and smoother, but still within the margin of error so to speak. Anyway, Aaz is right of course, but I'm assuming it's him until shown otherwise.

Sorry, I haven't gotten to nerd out about Berserk for almost two weeks! :guts:

Aazealh said:
To be honest I still think the process may be somewhat similar, but not necessarily involving "minds". Maybe the Od of a place (or several similar places) could simply give birth to such a spirit after a while, embodying its nature and elemental qualities.

Well said, the Qliphoth definitely comes to mind. No whore-goddess womb necessary now. :slan:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
I don't have much to say about the cocktrice other than it sure lives up to its name with those big, ahem, wattles of his. Bazuso would approve.:carcus:

Interestingly, the wattles seem to be pouches where the noxious gas it discharges on its foes is secreted. They seem to swell up as it attacks. I guess it's partly inspired from its reptile origins, a pretty cool combination to explain the beast's physiology.

Griffith said:
Excellent thought, but such conservatism from our resident geozoddologist!

Oh come on, I'm usually pretty conservative, aren't I? :griffnotevil:
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
What a great episode! I, for one, am glad we're getting a peek back at the mainland. It's been awhile since we've seen Rickert and Erica; I've missed 'em. I like the idea of them being our "inside look" at Falconia, too. Echoing others, Irvine looks awesome without his trademark hat!
 
Wow. What a treat to see Rickert again. :ubik: As always, it's great seeing new creatures in the world of Berserk. The moment I sat the cockatrice, this classy movie line came to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP9IOsdeO2s
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
I've been dying to know what's been happening on the mainland. I love how both sides of the story are so interesting. I can never get mad when Miura changes perspectives. Also, Irvine might have the coolest apostle design. Can't wait to know what Rickert thinks on the recent development of the world as well!
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
It's neat to consider that both Irvine and Raban have already been to Falconia and are now out exploring the wilds here. It gives us a small indication of the goings-on in Falconia. Namely, that Griffith very likely has ordered humans outside the walls to be protected, and depending on what's said next episode, to be brought to Falconia for "protection."

Maybe not so evil afterall! Eh? Eh? :griffnotevil:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
It's neat to consider that both Irvine and Raban have already been to Falconia and are now out exploring the wilds here. It gives us a small indication of the goings-on in Falconia. Namely, that Griffith very likely has ordered humans outside the walls to be protected, and depending on what's said next episode, to be brought to Falconia for "protection."

Maybe not so evil afterall! Eh? Eh? :griffnotevil:

Plus, who wants their livestock preyed upon by the local wildlife? :femto:


Speaking of Irvine, for those playing Griffith's Lieutenants Vs. Guts' Band match game at home, he's more and more a natural opponent for Serpico, right down to their antithetically complimentary abilities. Of course, I'd still most love to see Guts' reaction to his transformed state. There might be some serious "beast envy." :chomp: :beast:
 
That's a nice episode!!
It's good to see Rickert and Erika again, these two interest me a lot.
Pretty cool entrance from Irvine as well, the style of this guy knows no bounds.

Like most people here I was expecting that we would finally see something on Skellig from the ship but a change in perspective to show the now mostly chaotic world of Fantasia is a nice thing as well, plus we get doses of Rickert, Erika and the most stylish looking apostle so far. That's quite satisfying for me. AND a wild cockatrice appears!! :daiba:

The only thing I missed from this episode was seeing some trolls getting decapitated by Irvine's shots, like he did in the Kushan wars. Maybe he was soft on them because there were human allies nearby?

Well, anyway, it seems like the time to open the bottles of champagne was delayed a bit but one thing is for sure, as each episode that we get from now on the closer we draw to finally arriving at Skellig. Can't wait!!
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Arvin said:
The only thing I missed from this episode was seeing some trolls getting decapitated by Irvine's shots, like he did in the Kushan wars. Maybe he was soft on them because there were human allies nearby?

Their necks are thicker than humans'.
 
I wonder what will happen when Rickert meets Griffith. He knows what he has done so perhaps he will not cheer for him like the other people? But Sonja can read minds can't she? So perhaps she will somehow find out that he says the truth? :???:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Irvine said:
I wonder what will happen when Rickert meets Griffith. He knows what he has done so perhaps he will not cheer for him like the other people?
I'd find him "cheering" to be extremely unlikely based on his reaction to hearing the news from Guts in volume 22. While Guts says that Rickert could never truly hate Griffith, he's clearly upset over his friends being sacrificed. I think he will be wary, but also acknowledge that Falconia is the only safe haven. He has Erica to look out for, afterall.

But Sonja can read minds can't she? So perhaps she will somehow find out that he says the truth? :???:
Sonia. Good idea, but my first thought was that Rickert didn't see the events himself, he was informed by Guts. So there would be no mental image for him. It'd just be an emotion. Could still be cool though, something akin to: "This is someone who knew Griffith long ago ... why is he so conflicted?"

Though I think the larger question is, would Griffith's dark secret truly bother his followers? Their argument for accepting demons during the battle against the Ganishka spawn was basically: WHO CARES? They're the ones protecting you!
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Walter said:
Though I think the larger question is, would Griffith's dark secret truly bother his followers? Their argument for accepting demons during the battle against the Ganishka spawn was basically: WHO CARES? They're the ones protecting you!

Until something goes wrong! ta-ta-taaaaan :ubik:
 
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