Episode 340

Thank you very much for your responses, I see your point. It makes more sense that way, especially Walter's point about sending Grunbeld to do the job. XD
Thank you all for your kind welcome and I hope that we'll continue to exchange our thoughts, not in the weird telepathy way though. :???:
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
Reading this latest discussion abiut Griffith showing up put a really neat scene in my mind.

Imagine: Rakshas is about to murder Erika when suddenly something catches his eye(s). Suddenly he releases the girl and reduces his form. In the distance we see Griffith barely visible in the flame light, eyes feline and wild not unlike when he threaten Minster Foss. Without a single word, Griffith turns and walks away into the darkness. Classic Griffith. Rakshas becomes painfully aware he's upset the peace in the Falcon's city and slinks away in the darkness.

Doesn't really add up, but, personally, would be a cool moment. And assert Griffiths total (mostly) omnipotent control of his city.

Or, you know, Daiba swoops in.
 

Aazealh

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filipyoh said:
Thank you very much for your responses, I see your point. It makes more sense that way, especially Walter's point about sending Grunbeld to do the job. XD

I still don't think Locus holds any particular authority over either Rakshas or Grunbeld though.
 
What I'm most interested to see is the consequences of this event. The street has become a battleground. How will people react to this? Whatever happens, I clearly see Griffith sending a false message to the masses, in order to mantain the control.

That said, incredible episode. I liked much more Rakshas' old mask, but still he has got a cool one!
 

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
Tripas said:
What I'm most interested to see is the consequences of this event. The street has become a battleground. How will people react to this? Whatever happens, I clearly see Griffith sending a false message to the masses, in order to mantain the control.

Yeah, I'm curious about this too. And about what kind of reprimand Rakshas will get for starting such a fight in the city, or if he'll be excused since it was with non-citizens, or if he is generally excused for being Rakshas. And whether anyone will try to punish the Bakiraka for using fire in a fight in the city/fighting in the city instead of going to some kind of authority to complain about Rakshas :???: Or if none of that will really come up due to the whole party leaving at great speed :casca:
 

Walter

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If the Bakiraka get caught, I'd imagine they'd be killed. The Bakiraka don't live under Falconian rule. They're basically infiltrators here.
 

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
Ah yes. I had somehow forgotten that they just snuck in like 24 pages ago. I shall turn in my 'paying attention' badge. :troll:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I'm wondering how they're supposed to escape at all, Garuda or not, if the Zodd Squad gets on their trail. Plus, Rakshas likely knows where they're going anyway (Zodd + Rakshas, True Detective season 3). Anyway, short of killing Rakshas and fleeing the scene before anyone picks up their trail I don't see how they get away clean without Zodd's or Griffith's, somehow more likely, blessing (I don't think Zodd's benevolent respect towards Guts extends to Rickert =). Then again, maybe I'm still extending these assholes too much respect since they've already proven to be less than infallible the last few episodes and the Bakiraka a formidable match, "WHERE'D HE GO!!?"
 

Walter

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Griffith said:
I'm wondering how they're supposed to escape at all, Garuda or not, if the Zodd Squad gets on their trail.

Final page of next episode: Griffith raises his hand, holding Zodd back as Rickert, Erica, Silat and the Tapasa make off on Garuda. Shit — that's a lot of people on poor Garry's back!

As long as Griffith himself doesn't appear in front of the nameless others in town, it's no skin off his back if Rickert and the others escape.

Plus, Rakshas likely knows where they're going anyway

Damn, that's a great point. It is afterall where they've called home for centuries. But again, see above.
 

Aazealh

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Tripas said:
What I'm most interested to see is the consequences of this event. The street has become a battleground. How will people react to this? Whatever happens, I clearly see Griffith sending a false message to the masses, in order to mantain the control.

I actually wonder if we'll get to see the aftermath of all this. Both from the citizens' point of view as well as a possible talk between Griffith and Rakshas about it. It would certainly be interesting, but I could also see Miura not bothering with it, which would help keep us in the dark a little longer about Falconia's dirty secrets.

Tripas said:
I liked much more Rakshas' old mask, but still he has got a cool one!

It's true, we haven't talked much about the new mask, given all that went down. I agree it's not as badass as the previous one, but I enjoy its flamboyance. And it also makes sense in a way that he was actually wearing the better one to begin with. :rakshas:

Lithrael said:
Yeah, I'm curious about this too. And about what kind of reprimand Rakshas will get for starting such a fight in the city, or if he'll be excused since it was with non-citizens, or if he is generally excused for being Rakshas.

I don't imagine it'd be much more than a slap on the wrist. Although I'd love seeing Femto rough him up in the process, force-blasting him into a wall with a pupil's contraction.

Griffith said:
I'm wondering how they're supposed to escape at all, Garuda or not, if the Zodd Squad gets on their trail.

I wonder what Zodd's been up to, actually. It's kind of suspicious than we haven't seen him, especially since we've seen all the others. I wonder if he's out there in the wild (or in Skellig?! :isidro:) massacring astral creatures. Fantasia must be a wet dream for him in that regard, well worth serving Griffith for that alone: the prospect of countless battles.

Griffith said:
Plus, Rakshas likely knows where they're going anyway (Zodd + Rakshas, True Detective season 3).

Would he have leave to go away for an extended period of time, though? And in order to hunt Rickert down, which might go against Griffith's wishes?

Walter said:
Final page of next episode: Griffith raises his hand, holding Zodd back as Rickert, Erica, Silat and the Tapasa make off on Garuda. Shit — that's a lot of people on poor Garry's back!

As long as Griffith himself doesn't appear in front of the nameless others in town, it's no skin off his back if Rickert and the others escape.

Lest you forget, Griffith might very well be currently unavailable due to the full moon. :slan:
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
Lest you forget, Griffith might very well be currently unavailable due to the full moon. :slan:

Oh I totally forgot about that full moon but still, I like Walter's scenario of him lifting his hand stopping Zodd or whoever from pursuing them. After all, who can hurt him anyway? :rickert: :guts: That is if indeed he is here... Haha


Apostle or not, I don't think Rakshas would be stupid enough to go in a place with lots of people extremely skilled. Of course if he did go with other apostles that's something entirely different. But then again I don't think Griffith cares about what happens outside Falconia. He's too stuck up with his big city and his unknown plan probably.
 

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
Aazealh said:
Lest you forget, Griffith might very well be currently unavailable due to the full moon. :slan:

It's just occurred to me that if it ever turns out that anyone besides moonlight boy can use the world tree network to get around, it'll make the Berserk 'world map' a heck of a lot smaller. At present it seems like moonlight boy and Skull Knight himself are the only worldly entities we know of that seem to be able to travel great distances at will. (And moonlight boy was always able to poof himself around by hundreds of yards at least.) Though I don't recall if Griffith has gone anywhere very far since the tree went up, so we wouldn't know yet if he still uses the Zodd Express. (and also of course the ongoing opacity of the griffith/boy venn diagram)
 

Walter

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Aazealh said:
Lest you forget, Griffith might very well be currently unavailable due to the full moon. :slan:

Pff, how could I forget? :schierke:

...I did. :judo:

Lithrael said:
It's just occurred to me that if it ever turns out that anyone besides moonlight boy can use the world tree network to get around, it'll make the Berserk 'world map' a heck of a lot smaller.

I expect the return trip from Elfhelm won't necessarily involve another boat. As for who else has access to that kind of power, I imagine the Elf King can do that. The thing is, the world spiral tree is a very new phenomenon, and we don't exactly know the tree's nature yet. Lots of variables in play. There'll be a lot to discuss about that tree, once we know a little bit more about it.

Though I don't recall if Griffith has gone anywhere very far since the tree went up

He hasn't left Falconia, as far as we know. Unless you count the child's activities.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
I actually wonder if we'll get to see the aftermath of all this. Both from the citizens' point of view as well as a possible talk between Griffith and Rakshas about it. It would certainly be interesting, but I could also see Miura not bothering with it, which would help keep us in the dark a little longer about Falconia's dirty secrets.
Aazealh said:
I don't imagine it'd be much more than a slap on the wrist. Although I'd love seeing Femto rough him up in the process, force-blasting him into a wall with a pupil's contraction.

Next time we see him he'll be chained to the front of Griffith's horse like Fez in The Road Warrior. :guts:

Aazealh said:
It's true, we haven't talked much about the new mask, given all that went down. I agree it's not as badass as the previous one, but I enjoy its flamboyance. And it also makes sense in a way that he was actually wearing the better one to begin with. :rakshas:

Well, let's be real, the whole excuse of and design for his new, bigger, more flamboyant mask is really meant to compliment his apostle form. :iva: To that end it's perfect, too; even the ruffles compliment the texture of his body now.

Aazealh said:
I wonder what Zodd's been up to, actually. It's kind of suspicious than we haven't seen him, especially since we've seen all the others. I wonder if he's out there in the wild (or in Skellig?! :isidro:) massacring astral creatures. Fantasia must be a wet dream for him in that regard, well worth serving Griffith for that alone: the prospect of countless battles.

He's the Lord of Underworld while Femto is topside, watching from under furrowed brow on his iron throne! :zodd: Though, like you say, Zodd's more of a rolling stone that would seemingly prefer being out in the field than sitting home playing police or bodyguard (to someone that hardly needs it). Hard to imagine him away from Griffith too long though unless he has a specific, significant purpose like Flora's house.

Aazealh said:
Would he have leave to go away for an extended period of time, though? And in order to hunt Rickert down, which might go against Griffith's wishes?

With the disclaimer we don't yet know the extent and effectiveness of its defenses, it's already not such a great "hiding" place; if they want them, they'll know where to find them, in any case.

Walter said:
Pff, how could I forget? :schierke:

...I did. :judo:

Imagine a little naked boy wandering in and stopping Rakshas with his knub dangling and you'll feel better. :ganishka:

Btw, after all that joking around on the pod about werewolves, it's kind of funny that Griffith may actually be a wereboy afflicted by the full moon.
 

Aazealh

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Lithrael said:
It's just occurred to me that if it ever turns out that anyone besides moonlight boy can use the world tree network to get around, it'll make the Berserk 'world map' a heck of a lot smaller.

Same as Walter, I don't expect the return trip from Elfhelm to involve another sea journey.

Griffith said:
Well, let's be real, the whole excuse of and design for his new, bigger, more flamboyant mask is really meant to compliment his apostle form. :iva: To that end it's perfect, too; even the ruffles compliment the texture of his body now.

Is that how you see it? I think the old mask would have worked just as well. In my opinion, all these events were made to provide for cool battles and cool reveals about Rakshas, and the new mask's design is only an accessory to that.

Griffith said:
With the disclaimer we don't yet know the extent and effectiveness of its defenses, it's already not such a great "hiding" place; if they want them, they'll know where to find them, in any case.

Since they haven't been living there recently, it would only be one possibility among others, but I agree that Rakshas would likely be clued in on its location. That being said, he would still probably need to get leave from Griffith to go on a hunt to a possibly far away location, and on a mission that Griffith might not particularly approve of to begin with.

Anyway, I would love nothing more than for the final confrontation with Rakshas to take place in the Bakiraka's secret hideout, with him trying to take them all on... and maybe Guts' band as well?! :rakshas:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Is that how you see it? I think the old mask would have worked just as well. In my opinion, all these events were made to provide for cool battles and cool reveals about Rakshas, and the new mask's design is only an accessory to that.

Well, yeah, so I don't think it's a coincidence, except in the story's continuity, that he got a new mask in the same episode we see his "new" body, and I'd be surprised if the new mask wasn't designed first and foremost for his transformed state (probably originating with prospective designs of it), but I'm also not sure we see things so differently. I'm not saying the old mask wouldn't have worked, but it also wouldn't have helped differentiate his transformation from his iconic "human" appearance like the new mask does, precisely in the spirit of revelation you mentioned. I even think the old mask had more of a human quality, particularly the eyes, befitting Rakshas' strange and sinister personality, while this one is more primal and animalistic, befitting a depiction of a demon, beast, or monster (just looking at him holding Erika on that last page *shudder*).
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
Wenliinvictus said:
Didn't Griffith fly under a full moon when he rescued Charlotte?

To further illustrate Mangetsu's reponse:
berserkv27c235p200201copy.jpg


Look closely at the upper left side of the moon. It's very clearly not quite (but almost) full.
 

Aazealh

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Griffith said:
Well, yeah, so I don't think it's a coincidence, except in the story's continuity, that he got a new mask in the same episode we see his "new" body, and I'd be surprised if the new mask wasn't designed first and foremost for his transformed state (probably originating with prospective designs of it), but I'm also not sure we see things so differently.

My point is just that I don't think the previous fight with Rakshas was simply an excuse to introduce a new mask to complement his apostle form. That Miura intricately crafted the whole series of events to fit together perfectly is a given though.

Griffith said:
I'm not saying the old mask wouldn't have worked, but it also wouldn't have helped differentiate his transformation from his iconic "human" appearance like the new mask does, precisely in the spirit of revelation you mentioned.

Well I agree that this new mask definitely fits his apostle form well. It gives it a distinctive look, although he does start this episode in his "human form" anyway.

Griffith said:
I even think the old mask had more of a human quality, particularly the eyes, befitting Rakshas' strange and sinister personality, while this one is more primal and animalistic, befitting a depiction of a demon, beast, or monster

That's... going a bit too deep for me man. :rakshas:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
My point is just that I don't think the previous fight with Rakshas was simply an excuse to introduce a new mask to complement his apostle form. That Miura intricately crafted the whole series of events to fit together perfectly is a given though.

Oh, of course the latter, I was just being flippant in my language.

Aazealh said:
That's... going a bit too deep for me man. :rakshas:

:ganishka:
 
I agree that the fire extinguisher/flamethrower isn't a version of Chekhov's gun, but there is one here: It's the horse-eating monster that Daiba keeps. I expect Daiba will set it loose on Rakshas in the next episode, and it will keep Rakshas occupied long enough for Erika to be rescued, and maybe even drive him off briefly.

Miura really knows how to build up the drama. I was impatient for the manga to get back to Guts & Co., but now I'm drawn back to this side of the story.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
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Runner said:
I agree that the fire extinguisher/flamethrower isn't a version of Chekhov's gun, but there is one here: It's the horse-eating monster that Daiba keeps.

Duuuude I bothered explaining it on page one of this thread: "Chekhov's gun" is a narrative principle (roughly, that every element in a story needs to serve a purpose). It doesn't just refer to a specific element of a story playing more than one part in it. Berserk does not really follow Chekhov's principle by virtue of its structure and extensiveness, however I could spend a whole day listing instances of elements being introduced early and playing a role later on. That includes both the firehose device and Garuda and half of everything in Berserk. It's just good storytelling!

Runner said:
Miura really knows how to build up the drama. I was impatient for the manga to get back to Guts & Co., but now I'm drawn back to this side of the story.

Just in time for us to switch back to Guts' side. :slan:
 
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