Episode 359

This episode is amazing, from start to finish. All of this stuff I've been waiting years and years to see. It was such a treat to see Casca speaking to all her "new" friends. Then we get to see Casca kicking ass once again. Plus, something I was truly hoping for happened: she and Isidro sparred together!

Casca talking at Guts was sweet, while it happened. I love how she thought it was funny that Guts of all people would take on a disciple, haha. Danan's words about Casca having to be the one to choose what to do with her trauma are sad, but a bit hopeful to me.

While I was absolutely devastated to see Casca suffering again, overall there is lots to be hopeful about, I feel.
 
I take back my comment before about how they are dealing with Casca dealing with the tramau.
It looks like Guts is triggering it for her, much like previous assaults had. It seems like they are able to talk, but the sight of him makes her go full PTSD. I love the amount covered in this episode. Great new armor designs and Casca's new gear is reminiscent of her original set, and it looks really cool.
I can't wait to get translations and see how her persona has changed.

That's not from Elfhelm, it's the magicians of Skellig who keep these. And as we've been told, they're "taboo", or at least the Wickerman was. As for their actual origin, it's not too hard to guess. It must be tied to the creation of that community back in ancient times (Gaiseric's time, and a chaotic time similar to Fantasia). As I speculated back when we first saw the Wickerman, it gives us an insight into how humans dealt with such a world back then, and to how they dealt with each other too. I believe it will play a key role in explaining the conflict between mankind-led-by-the-God-Hand and the astral world in the future. I've been frustrating Walter for months because I have a big post about this stuff that I started after 358 and still haven't finished. Will try to get it done.

I'd love to see this. Miura really has been great about keeping everything internally consistent while adding layer after layer into the series as it goes on.
 
So close, yet so far. Casca's mind has been restored, she can think, she can speak, she can fight. She feels no animosity for Guts at all; nay, on the contrary she still loves him. But she can't be around him, she can't listen to him, and she can't even see him without everything about the Eclipse coming back in full force. What was supposed to be the culmination of Guts' journey and his most hard-won victory to date has just become another crushing defeat on the road. That last image of his silhouette walking away from the group feels foreboding, like he's going to leave everyone behind once more. Just like he did to the Falcons all the way back in the Golden Age. And just like he did to Casca after the Eclipse. Guts vowed he would never abandon Casca again. But now, it doesn't seem like he'll have any choice. :judo:

I would be all aboard for Casca to be the one that says, no you fucker, you wont leave again! We stick together and pull throw.
Shame she's not physically able to tell him that to his face.
 
Shame she's not physically able to tell him that to his face
She doesn't have to....directly i mean, just having her tackle the issue, putting her foot in the ground and deciding for herrself, no your not going to run away again, were going to have to deal with this sooner or later.
It would be an immediate empowerment of the character, i think.

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Great episode. I loved it despite how heartbreaking it is.

On the topic of the next episode, I saw this post on /a/ not too long ago. And honestly, I can see this happening in some way.
>next chapter, Skull Knight will talk to Guts
>will explain to him that Casca's trauma manifests differently
>Guts trauma manifested as hatred, while Casca's manifests as shock and despair
>he will tell Guts that he inadvertently caused the astral merge
>but that it may have been a blessing in disguise
>all five members of the God Hand now exist within our physical dimension
>asks Guts to join him and track them down
>Guts will remark that seeing Casca like this has only made him revile Griffith more
>he will accompany Skull Knight
>but will remark that he will only come if his party will join him
>he'll mention how he will never abandon his companions again, and it will show him walking away from the Hawks in the snow / leaving Rickert and Casca in the cave
>Skull Knight will agree, and will remark that having witches alongside them will prove helpful
>Skull Knight has been recruited
 
What was supposed to be the culmination of Guts' journey and his most hard-won victory to date has just become another crushing defeat on the road. That last image of his silhouette walking away from the group feels foreboding, like he's going to leave everyone behind once more. Just like he did to the Falcons all the way back in the Golden Age. And just like he did to Casca after the Eclipse. Guts vowed he would never abandon Casca again. But now, it doesn't seem like he'll have any choice. :judo:

I think it's plausible to assume he'll think about leaving, and that Miura will address the subject, but I hope Guts is not that naïve as to believe she would heal that quickly so in their second encounter everything would be alright -if that was the case, the utter deception of the result would be a natural cause for him leaving (Edit): or, at least, getting even more depressed-. Also, don't forget that the last time Casca screamed was after seeing Guts too (I'm not saying this time he was the trigger instead of thinking of Judeau), and we don't know yet his reaction then, as we're not shown the immediate aftermath of their first encounter; why should we assume he's leaving for sure just because there's that reminiscent panel? Maybe his reaction then was the same as the shown here. If he stayed the first time and tried a second, why shouldn't there be a third if he vowed not to abandon her?
 
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Great episode. I loved it despite how heartbreaking it is.

On the topic of the next episode, I saw this post on /a/ not too long ago. And honestly, I can see this happening in some way.
>next chapter, Skull Knight will talk to Guts
>will explain to him that Casca's trauma manifests differently
>Guts trauma manifested as hatred, while Casca's manifests as shock and despair
>he will tell Guts that he inadvertently caused the astral merge
>but that it may have been a blessing in disguise
>all five members of the God Hand now exist within our physical dimension
>asks Guts to join him and track them down
>Guts will remark that seeing Casca like this has only made him revile Griffith more
>he will accompany Skull Knight
>but will remark that he will only come if his party will join him
>he'll mention how he will never abandon his companions again, and it will show him walking away from the Hawks in the snow / leaving Rickert and Casca in the cave
>Skull Knight will agree, and will remark that having witches alongside them will prove helpful
>Skull Knight has been recruited

Sounds pretty unlikely if you ask me. The scenario i personally imagined is their conversation starting off by referencing what Skull Knight said to Guts about Casca in Volume 28. After that i can imagine the topic switching to how Griffith is building an empire in Falconia and how that city is actually the reincarnation of Gaiserics old city. Wether it comes directly out of Sks mouth that he is Gaiseric, or if Guts is able to put 2 and 2 together, i dont know, but we might finally get the first big glimpse into what happened 1000 years ago.
 
Obviously not the focus of the episode, but I wonder if Danan's ability to make armor spring to life with the fighting prowess of its former user is a skill she's ever used before?
 
And as much as I would have loved to have a quiet tender moment between her and Guts upon her restoration, the PTSD attacks are quite compelling.

The quiet tender moment is coming, it's just farther down the road. And it will be made even sweeter by the extra hardships involved to get there. It will feel deserved and natural in a way no work of fiction has accomplished before.

As a long time fan, it was surreal seeing some of these interactions unfold, but this episode was also filled with such bittersweetness! You can really feel Guts's conflict here. After so much travel, pain and uncertainty, I'm sure there's nothing he'd like to do more than look at Casca and talk with her, but he can't even do that much right now!

Yeah... What was really super strong to me is Casca noticing that Guts is there and just coming to him immediately. Because it's not just Guts that wants to be with her, she does too. She's been wanting to be there for him... But she can't for now. But as Danan says in this episode, it's up to Casca now to work on it, and I'm sure she will. Powerful stuff coming in the future, probably best to restock handkerchiefs.

I agree that Guts will almost certainly pull away from the group now that his goal is accomplished, but I think Casca will have something to say about that. Overall, I was really excited by how Casca is jumping back into things. Even without being able to understand the dialogue, Casca's expressions and actions suggest to me that she's eager to return to her old self. I don't think I was alone in assuming that Casca would be in a darker place after the scream, but she seems to be moving quickly in a positive direction.

Yeah, I mean from her perspective, you know, she's still herself. And she's used to being in charge. Like I said before, I feel like that's the most sensible way to tackle her trauma: have it be something that hinders her, and hinders her relationship with Guts, but without preventing her character from developing, which would just be ridiculous after keeping her stunted for so long.

As a sidenote... was not predicting the return to her old hairstyle! I guess my stylish bob guess is out of the running!

Haha, I still say a big braid would have been badass, but hey, back to basics is nice and effective too. And hell, who knows, she'll have opportunities to change it later on.

Then we get to see Casca kicking ass once again. Plus, something I was truly hoping for happened: she and Isidro sparred together!

I seem to remember someone predicting a master/student relationship between them years ago... I mean me of course.
 
Hello

I just saw this episode right now and oh my god,it was beautiful yet painful to read.
So many emotions conveyed with just 27 pages.
I'm glad to see that Miura is still a damn good writer,I never expected him to go this way with the story,nor I expected that it would be so good.
Even the art was beautiful in this episode,the details,the character faces and expressions,his compositions... everything.

One of the best ones in a while.

Anyway,I just thought about something in particular,so excuse me if it's a silly question,but:
Have Skull Knight ever meet the Moonlight Boy?
Or does he know him?
I think they didn't appear at the same time yet. I wonder if Skully will notice something weird (if you know what I mean) about him.
 
This at least keeps Guts' urge for vengeance seething inside him. I remember Miura saying in one of his many interviews that the reason he kept Casca alive was that if Guts were to find new friends, he would be able to move on from his trauma, to an extent, keeping Casca around is a double edged sword in that he can never forget what Griffith has done to him. Concurrently, if Casca were able to fully recover, Guts would have a clear avenue to leave his vengeance behind, keeping this divide between them means he still has to fight his darker self. I doubt Guts would leave the group willingly, in his current state it's impossible anyway, but maybe some kind of divide will happen in the future.


Incidentally I would like Casca to confront her trauma head on; Aliens style, rather than with a one episode conversation. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Hello

I just saw this episode right now and oh my god,it was beautiful yet painful to read.
So many emotions conveyed with just 27 pages.
I'm glad to see that Miura is still a damn good writer,I never expected him to go this way with the story,nor I expected that it would be so good.
Even the art was beautiful in this episode,the details,the character faces and expressions,his compositions... everything.

One of the best ones in a while.

Anyway,I just thought about something in particular,so excuse me if it's a silly question,but:
Have Skull Knight ever meet the Moonlight Boy?
Or does he know him?
I think they didn't appear at the same time yet. I wonder if Skully will notice something weird (if you know what I mean) about him.

He doesn't know him, he's never met him in his current form, but the last time he saw the child in its demon form, he encouraged Guts to euthanise him, food for thought...
 
What was supposed to be the culmination of Guts' journey and his most hard-won victory to date has just become another crushing defeat on the road.

That's not how I would put it. Obviously Guts is dejected, that's normal. But it's still ENORMOUS progress. She's back. There are still hurdles, but she's back. And they have a group of supporting friends to help them through it.

That last image of his silhouette walking away from the group feels foreboding, like he's going to leave everyone behind once more. Just like he did to the Falcons all the way back in the Golden Age. And just like he did to Casca after the Eclipse. Guts vowed he would never abandon Casca again. But now, it doesn't seem like he'll have any choice.

I addressed that in a big post earlier on, but I'll just that while I think Guts will consider ostracizing himself from the group in some way (with the reasoning that they'll be better off without him), he ultimately won't do it, and they won't let him do it anyway.

On the topic of the next episode

I don't think the Skull Knight will join Guts' group.

Have Skull Knight ever meet the Moonlight Boy?
Or does he know him?
I think they didn't appear at the same time yet. I wonder if Skully will notice something weird (if you know what I mean) about him.

As a reminder, the timing of the Skull Knight's appearance on the beach in volume 28 was really extremely close to that of the Moonlight Boy. They've never faced each other, but it's probably better not to assume too much regarding what he knows or doesn't. And he was there when Casca gave birth in volume 14.
 
Great episode. I loved it despite how heartbreaking it is.

On the topic of the next episode, I saw this post on /a/ not too long ago. And honestly, I can see this happening in some way.
>next chapter, Skull Knight will talk to Guts
>will explain to him that Casca's trauma manifests differently
>Guts trauma manifested as hatred, while Casca's manifests as shock and despair
>he will tell Guts that he inadvertently caused the astral merge
>but that it may have been a blessing in disguise
>all five members of the God Hand now exist within our physical dimension
>asks Guts to join him and track them down
>Guts will remark that seeing Casca like this has only made him revile Griffith more
>he will accompany Skull Knight
>but will remark that he will only come if his party will join him
>he'll mention how he will never abandon his companions again, and it will show him walking away from the Hawks in the snow / leaving Rickert and Casca in the cave
>Skull Knight will agree, and will remark that having witches alongside them will prove helpful
>Skull Knight has been recruited
I don't think that's how things are going to go down. One, Skull Knight is pretty good at tracking down the God Hand by himself, I don't know how he expects Guts to help on that front. Two, this is just reducing Guts' character down to "GRRR, HATE GRIFFITH, RRRR!" when what Guts should be feeling is devastation, sadness, perhaps even resignation. And three, I think the arrival of a certain guest on the island (or would it count as a couple of guests?) is what's going to be the real catalyst to determine what everyone is going to do from here. Not some conversation with Bone Daddy.

I think it's plausible to assume he'll think about leaving, and that Miura will address the subject, but I hope Guts is not that naïve as to believe she would heal that quickly so in their second encounter everything would be alright -if that was the case, the utter deception of the result would be a natural cause for him leaving-. Also, don't forget that the last time Casca screamed was after seeing Guts too (I'm not saying this time he was the trigger instead of thinking of Judeau), and we don't know yet his reaction then, as we're not shown the immediate aftermath of their first encounter; why should we assume he's leaving for sure just because there's that reminiscent panel? Maybe his reaction then was the same as the shown here. If he stayed the first time and tried a second, why shouldn't there be a third if he vowed not to abandon her?
I'm not saying that Guts thinking about leaving RIGHT NOW. The only thing he's doing in this episode is putting distance between himself and Casca. What I am saying is that the imagery used feels like it could be foreshadowing future events.

That's not how I would put it. Obviously Guts is dejected, that's normal. But it's still ENORMOUS progress. She's back. There are still hurdles, but she's back. And they have a group of supporting friends to help them through it.
I agree, from our perspective as readers, this is progress. But I don't know if Guts will see it the same way when he can't even be in the same room as her now.
 
Miura's comment: "The work has been increased! I'm recruiting assistants!"

I agree, from our perspective as readers, this is progress. But I don't know if Guts will see it the same way when he can't even be in the same room as her now.

To give some context, when Farnese asks Guts if he's alright because he's silent, he replies that for now, this is OK, because she's doing well with them. And that it's enough for him for the time being. So it's not as if he's an idiot who has unreasonable expectations. It's super painful of course, as we see on his face, but he's willing to wait, to give her time. I mean, he's already waited a long time anyway. Of course, we will see where that train of thought will take him, but it won't be a black or white thing, there's a lot of more subtle elements at play. It's also worth reiterating that Danan was pretty positive about it, saying it's up to Casca now to deal with it. And that even for such a deep wound, the current Casca will be able to take care of it. Finally, the narration when Guts leaves the scene also says a lot: "these two still haven't met".

Going beyond this episode, I'd say let's not jump the gun until the boy enters the picture. I mean he's the biggest deal of them all, and he's always been there to help his parents. Like I said before, I think there's something going on with the whole Black Swordsman persona, I feel like it might play a role in Casca's association of Guts with the apostles, the Eclipse, etc. In volume 14, when they asked him why he dressed like that, he said it was because he would be fighting in the dark. I think that darkness he's shrouded himself in isn't anodine here. And I feel that by making him into a clumsy dad for a minute, the boy could subvert that association for Casca. I know, I know, I'm getting ahead of myself here, but that's food for thought.

Another thing: Farnese feels a responsability to Casca because she made her a promise inside the corridor of dreams. She would make her meet the one she was longing after (which was obviously Guts as I had said at the time). And she's determined to do it. That's why she goes to her and tells her Guts is hiding behind the tree. Their connection feels stronger than ever, beyond their respective thankfulness for their time together during the journey (with Casca feeling like Farnese was a mother or older sister to her, a comforting presence). It's reiterated that "something was transferred" to Farnese from experiencing Casca's memories, or at least that how Farnese feels. So yeah I feel like Farnese will be another big ally in mending things, which is quite interesting considering she only moved past her crush on Guts somewhat recently, towards the end of the journey. And yet it feels very natural to me that she would now play this role.

On a side note, after checking the text a bit, the clothes Danan gives Casca are the standard gear of the protectors of the forest, so I think that's a confirmation of my earlier thought that it's just a temporary setup until she gets some serious gear. Also interesting to learn that Danan stole those armors from vikings who landed on the island once, then made golems out of them. The others seem a little shocked that she'd do that, but I guess elves will be elves. :iva:
 
Seeing Casca drawn in her old fashion will definitely take some getting used to, but she looks cool and vigorous, glad to see her back. She seems to be a bit more mature as well (not just physically). The sparring was amazing, impactful and fluid. Miura always knows how to achieve visually satisfying results by using realism in his depiction of martial arts. Very skilled fighting from Casca, I look forward to seeing her in action more. It's also a good thing that she remembers past events and characters, it would've been a shame had she needed to start from scratch, and quite frustrating for us I imagine.

An overall happy episode, but the sad parts were definitely potent. It would seem like the long awaited reunion is finally here, yet still quite a distance away from Guts. I'm looking forward to a scene where they get to embrace and reminisce, which is hopefully not too far away. In the meantime, I'm curious how the group dynamics will change (if they will change much at all) now that sane Casca is here to stay.

Skull Knight making an appearance is also one hell of a way to end the episode, big reveals are on our doorstep, or at least some more pieces for the puzzle.

And one thing I wonder is if he might not need to shed the Black Swordsman look and identity as a result of all that. Because that's what seems to be associated with Casca's trauma, and that's not ALL of what Guts is. It's just "an image", as Miura would say. I'm rambling but I think t here's a strong thematic stake going on here.
Like I said before, I think there's something going on with the whole Black Swordsman persona, I feel like it might play a role in Casca's association of Guts with the apostles, the Eclipse, etc. In volume 14, when they asked him why he dressed like that, he said it was because he would be fighting in the dark. I think that darkness he's shrouded himself in isn't anodine here.

The whole Black Swordsman identity had quite a lot of thematic implications from the start, so I can certainly see what you mean. It's been a while since we've seen Guts have a change of look by the way, but I have a hard time imagining him leaving behind the Berserker's Armor and the Dragonslayer (which happen to be signature items of the Black Swordsman persona, at least the Dragonslayer surely must've become one by now if not the armor). I think his current equipment is pretty important going forward and taking into account the conflict with the God Hand and Femto. This aura that frightens Casca and which seems to be associated with the Black Swordsman persona, which in turn is associated with the Eclipse and other monstrous imagery, might as well be more of a mental state or predispostion which Guts still hasn't managed to completely shake off yet. I think you're definitely on the right track though.

Guts might be tempted to strike it on his own, and it's his friends and of course Casca herself who will need to grab him back.

Yeah, I don't really see a scenario where him returning back to square one in a heedless pursuit for revenge would make much sense in terms of progression. He would eventually need to reunite with everyone to oppose the God Hand's plans and all these problems will need to be adressed sooner or later anyway, so it would be just a waste of time as I see it. Very possible he will be tempted to leave and might even attempt it, but I agree Casca and the others won't let him go.

Obviously not the focus of the episode, but I wonder if Danan's ability to make armor spring to life with the fighting prowess of its former user is a skill she's ever used before?

All of us, I presume, are eagerly awaiting a comprehensive translation of the episode from Puella, so I don't want to go into too much detail about the dialogue for now, but from what I've seen in other translations online, Danan doesn't seem to say anything about the former user's fighting prowess being part of the equation when animating those straw puppets. Even if that were the case, I highly doubt it is the same process which might have bound Skull Knight to his current armor, unless you really want to reduce it to a couple of nonchalant broom flaps.
 
Having the enchanted armors in the beginning of the episode was a genius way to bring back Skull Knight into the fray.... what has it been now 11 years since he's been in a new episode? (Not as a flashback) It's awesome to see that Casca was willing to work with Isidro and that she impressed the gang with her swordsmanship against the enchanted viking armor. Someone on the forum or podcast thought that Isidro would become more infatuated and impressed with the female commander of the Band of the Falcon rather than the raiders captain and hundred man slayer. I definitely see that happening and in some funny way were it's right in front of Guts and Casca and they share some witty banter or a exchange a smug look.
 
That's not how I would put it. Obviously Guts is dejected, that's normal. But it's still ENORMOUS progress. She's back. There are still hurdles, but she's back. And they have a group of supporting friends to help them through it.



I addressed that in a big post earlier on, but I'll just that while I think Guts will consider ostracizing himself from the group in some way (with the reasoning that they'll be better off without him), he ultimately won't do it, and they won't let him do it anyway.



I don't think the Skull Knight will join Guts' group.



As a reminder, the timing of the Skull Knight's appearance on the beach in volume 28 was really extremely close to that of the Moonlight Boy. They've never faced each other, but it's probably better not to assume too much regarding what he knows or doesn't. And he was there when Casca gave birth in volume 14.

Yeah,I know there's nothing confirmed yet, so it's just a vague assumption of mine.
But I wonder what Guts's and Skully's reaction would be if (or when) *they finds out the truth,that
the Moonlight Boy and Griffith share the same body.
.
 
She seems to be a bit more mature as well (not just physically).

Well, I mean she's been through some shit, y'know? That ages you real fast.

It's also a good thing that she remembers past events and characters, it would've been a shame had she needed to start from scratch, and quite frustrating for us I imagine.

Yes, that would have necessitated her to be told about them, but without having an emotional connection. It's more satisfying that way, even stuff like her wondering where Luka and the girls are and saying she wishes to meet them again someday (spoiler: she will).

It's been a while since we've seen Guts have a change of look by the way, but I have a hard time imagining him leaving behind the Berserker's Armor and the Dragonslayer

I agree, and I don't think it will happen. I don't have all the answers quite yet, although I think the Berserk's armor needs to (and will) be addressed before they leave Elfhelm. It's slowly destroying him physically and it's not helping with his mental state either.

Danan doesn't seem to say anything about the former user's fighting prowess being part of the equation when animating those straw puppets.

Yeah, no. Those are golems, they're just lifeless automatons.
And to go further, if you pay attention, the armors aren't empty. The way it works is that Danan probably dressed up the golems with those stolen armors.

Having the enchanted armors in the beginning of the episode was a genius way to bring back Skull Knight into the fray....

They're not related though.

I definitely see that happening and in some funny way were it's right in front of Guts and Casca and they share some witty banter or a exchange a smug look.

It's kind of already started in a way, Casca talked a lot about Isidro and how it's amusing to her that Guts would sort of have an apprentice, and if you pay close attention he's not 100% comfortable with it. :guts:

Episode359-Sweatdrop.jpg
 
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