Episode 364

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Aazealh

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i apologize if this has been addressed already, but MB wearing the berserker armor felt like some interesting potential foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing about what? Honestly I think it's just meant to be a cute scene.

Do you know of anyone who really wants such a thing? I saw this mentioned on reddit, but the commenter there didn’t want that. I don’t think even the fujoshis necessarily want that.

Sorry, do you mean about Femto? It's not prevalent, thankfully, but there are people who hoped for it.
 
Honestly I think it's just meant to be a cute scene.
Same. But in an after thought I was wondering if the boy did that in a sense to protect his father from the cursed armour. Having this scene just after a demonstration of the effects it has on its wearer. Which make the scene even more cute and touching.
 
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Aazealh

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Same. But on after thought I was wondering if the boy did that in a sense to protect his father of the cursed armour. Having this scene just after a demonstration of the effects it has on its wearer. Which make the scene even more cute and touching.

Well, from the beginning the boy has protected Guts from the armor in a way. Both times he appeared previously, on the beach and on the solitary island, he prevented him from attacking Casca and the others and allowed Schierke to reach him and deactivate it.

That being said, in this specific scene it seems to me the boy just wants to play at "being his dad", wearing his armor and doing pretend swordfighting. I don't think there's another meaning to it. But I agree with you that the way Miura wrote the scene is very powerful, with Guts having that terrible realization about his physical condition, then the boy showing up like that.
 

guuuuuuuuts

Excited for the next chapter!
I noticed a striking kinship between Rutger Hauer's final Tears in the rain monologue in Blade Runner and the final panel of
Griffith crying a single tear as he transforms.

"I had a dream. That on nights with a full moon I became an infant, and feel, the embrace of a familiar warmth. But, as I wake from that dream, only a faint feeling of loneliness remains... ...And that, too, takes but a moment to disappear. With a single teardrop, like the morning dew."

Now see Rutger Hauer's final "Tears in rain" monologue in the original Blade Runner. Here is the wikipedia entry and here is the youtube scene.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attacked ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."

BladeRunnerRoyBattySpeech.jpeg

It was mentioned in a past interview that Rutger Hauer was a favorite actor of Miura-sensei who thought of him playing Guts in a live Berserk adaptation. For me, the inspiration of this beautiful Blade Runner monologue jumped back into my mind while appreciating the final panels.
 

Walter

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I noticed a striking kinship between Rutger Hauer's final Tears in the rain monologue in Blade Runner and the final panel
Yep! Aazealh also commented on it in his ep impressions a few days back. It’s a pretty evocative scene. My mind also went to it.

Regarding Hauer and Guts though, I think you’re misremembering, because it wasn’t about casting a live action Berserk. Here’s what Miura said :

I wasn't really thinking of anybody at the time I created Guts. But if you're only talking about his looks and not about his personality then I guess Rutger Hauer was the model. I saw him playing a mercenary in a medieval movie, "Flesh & Blood" and I really liked him in that movie. He also played the lead in "Salute of the Jugger". It was a sci-fi movie, but I thought the character he played was similar to Guts. And the main character from "Highlander" kind of reminds me of Guts. I think it had a lot to do with those cool collected type heroes I admired when I was in college. But if it's about Guts' personality or his belief... I guess some of it comes from myself.
 
I noticed a striking kinship between Rutger Hauer's final Tears in the rain monologue in Blade Runner and the final panel of
Griffith crying a single tear as he transforms.
What a jolly coincidence. I read 364 today and bawled for extraneous and related feelings to the conclusion. Didn’t realize I had a grieving moment in me to still let out but I’m sure there will be more to come. Long story short I too noticed this similarity and have the final panel and Hauer scene on my Instagram currently lol. Cheers man glad our minds had the same connection like that.
 
As Miura's final work... 364 is absolutely perfect. Like everyone, I've had such a huge :void: in my heart these past few months. But this episode offers more closure than I could have ever possibly dreamt of. I haven't posted in years, but I'm feeling quite nostalgic right now... Hope my Berserk family is doing well. Thank you to the greatest that ever was.
 
It took me some days to absorb everything and calm down, and well, here we are, commenting about the last episode of Berserk. After reading it, I realised that I didn't exactly accept this whole situation in the first place, when the news broke back then. And probably won't ever fully accept it, for me it's just going to be the longest hiatus so far. It may be immature from my part, but it's easier, and I think also fitting in a way. Sure, the announcement that episode 364 exists played it's part too, messing a little with the acceptance that Miura and Berserk came to a closure. It feels so weird, knowing that this is it. "Waiting so long" will hit me so much more from now on.

Now about the actual content of the episode, you all said it first. Under these circumstances, we actually got a perfect ending, after 363 I didn't expect it to be that fitting, it really defied my expectations. In a strange way, everything feels organic and falls into place neatly, it's an insane coincidence for the series to end so appropriately, we should be truly grateful as fans. Casca being with the kid in beautiful and emotional panels, Guts having great, touching moments with the kid too. It's sad that we didn't see the three of them together, I have a feeling Miura kept that out for the final episodes, or somewhere near them at least. Serpico saying out loud that they're basically a family, and everyone in the room realizing it. Some great comedic moments as well, as I said in the chat some days ago my personal favorites being the panel with the anthropomorphic mushrooms "suffering" in the hands of the kid and Puck, who is hitting them in the head for some reason, and the one where a worried Casca pushes Ishidro aside like he's invisible while he's fishing, in order to reach the kid. That one is already one of my favorite panel in the series. Some well-deserved peace and quiet in general, like a fairytale. The panel where the kid marches with all the creatures and their fun interactions in these pages reminded me of the old Little Nemo comic strip by Winsor McCay for some reason. And of course those final pages, an abrupt transition from a dream to a nightmare, with the perfect homage to Blade Runner as @Aazealh pointed out. As a closure, we literally couldn't ask for more. Bittersweet perfection, more satisfying than many complete series that have an actual ending.

I regret that it took me so many years to become a member on this site. I always admired the love, contributions on every Berserk-related topic and persistence of the administrators, and every member that put something to the table in general, a personal take that sparked discussion, news, information, everything, and don't get me wrong, I still do. I just can't help but to think that commenting here on current episodes as they came out should happen much sooner. Despite that, the tragic passing of Miura brought together people that love the series under this "roof", and that means that the feelings we have are honest. Better late than never I guess, still, I have fun listening to the podcast and searching the forum for discussions, and it's gonna be like that for as long as it's possible.

I'm sad because Berserk is irreplacable, but I'll try to see things with some optimism too. What we have, and what we got with episode 364 is an Epic for the ages. This story is never-ending. So, in classic Berserk fashion, 'till next time!
 
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Well, this hit like a truck. Bravo.

Also I could not help but notice that in a twisted way, this is like the pre-sacrifice imaginated life of a crippled Griffith being part of Guts and Casca's family...

Right before armor Griffith appeared and told him to get on with it.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Fuck it, I'm going page by page to commemorate the end. First off, beautiful title referencing the tear like morning dew, much more appropriate for the occasion than "leaping monkey." =)

Page 1: Gorgeous first shot of the boy. Guts should have recognized something was up when the kid circled around and got the best of him so quickly! Very cute though. Once again the child climbs up the cape.

Page 2: The supper is adorable but the best part is easily Guts' cross, pouty expression as he ducks in under the door with the kid over his head. Weird, random note, but the Moonlight Boy kind of looks like my daughter, same hair, head, and expression.

Pages 3 & 4: Like everyone else, I love Schierke's certainty about her theory and how she takes the boy's appearance there as confirmation. Nothing beats that look on her face while Isidro gloats about how arrogantly she talked this up. We've all been there, Schierke, welcome to the club. I refuse to believe Miura wasn't dunking on all of us with this.

Page 5: Great shot of Guts holding the boy, literally in the palm of his hand, as he sends him up to see Casca. I love how it brings everyone back to attention and how serious yet caring he seems. Strong childcare vibes from the big guy. The shot of Casca in the bottom right of this page is great as well.

Page 6: My favorite shot of Casca on this page is similarly the top left. Sometimes the smaller panels seem just right. Most significant of course is these two get to reunite now that Casca is back to her senses. Just another bit of vital material we fortuitously got in this episode.

Page 7: More great shots of Casca on this page. I know I keep commenting on that, but they're obviously a precious thing at this point and there's only so many left. Just as we're blessed to get to see the child like this, really for the first time living among them for more than a night, it also doubles as more time and development for Casca.

Pages 8, 9 & 10: Now things are getting interesting big picture-wise, with Schierke's error being corrected and Danan giving her own thoughts. Flora telling Danan about the journey in a dream and her even knowing about the boy already... Most interesting to me though is what Danan says about him being able to come there at all because of his connection to them and not being a threat. Uh oh, cue the ominous connection to Guts and Casca and the awesome shot of Guts in the moonlight (classic Miura). The shot of the boy and Casca together in the morning is great.

Pages 11, 12, 13, & 14: So the boy can stick around and they can live like a family for a while. I love Isidro commenting on Danan's gift-bearing intrusions. The best part pf course is seeing the boy just get to be a boy for a while. He's Casca's and Guts' son and it would be tragic if the story had stopped without him getting much face time of his own outside of major plot devices. I'm glad we got to see him just be a character and interacting normally with his mom and dad before the end, not unlike what I would have hoped for at the proper end of the series. My favorites from this segment are him walking in line with the golems and being chased down by Casca with the sheet. Of course, Danan and the gurus still don't know what to make of him, and Schierke knows someone is missing from this happy picture.

Page 15: That timeless shot of Guts that made the Young Animal cover. Him losing his sword is painful to watch, and so uncharacteristic I thought he was throwing it until he looked disbelievingly at his hand and confirmed he couldn't trust it. I'm reminded of when his prosthetic arm couldn't hold on to Casca, but now he doesn't just have to worry about the limbs he couldn't really replace, but the ones he still has.

Pages 16, 17, & 18: His vision of the fruit is almost more worrisome. Why is he wearing the armor at all on the island, let alone at night (I guess it would have payed off in 363)? Fortunately, the boy is here to dispel that tension, and what a lovely scene of Guts actually acting like a dad, right up to the sad moment he sends him back to mom at the end of the weekend. =) I think most striking is how much he genuinely enjoys the company of the boy and is taken with him.

Page 19: This page is perfect, every panel and background on it and the story it tells together is absolutely beautiful.

Pages 20 & 21: Boom. She remembers and she knows. Great shot of her looking out so concerned at Guts and the boy. I wonder if Casca won't be better simply by the fact that Guts will no longer be the person she most closely associates with the Eclipse. Also, I will admit the way Guts is standing out there with the boy, in full armor, is odd. =)

Page 22: Weird shot of Guts face; it looks like he is reacting to something that hasn't happened yet, like he can sense a change in the wind. I love the frantic shot of Casca, the boy/Griffith speaking (is it just Griffith's voice, or does it actually start as what would be the boy's and change over!?) and then Guts eye widening with realization.

Page 23: A great shot, all three on the same page, but it hurts that this is the last way we see Guts and the last thing we see him see.

Page 24: One last iconic shot of Griffith, speaking to Guts for the first time in 19 volumes, also for the the last time, and finally showing some emotion no less, which I've been waiting just as long to see. Of course, like in the story itself, the showing of emotion is illusory; it's the boy's heart that's breaking, his whole existence interrupted. The dialogue here is beautiful on several levels, the longing it conveys, that it works thematically for both characters, and works for this moment in time for all of us feeling the same sense of longing right now. Just incredible, and proof almost any episode of Berserk can support the emotional heft of a series finale.
 
I got emotional at the cover page :ganishka:

Reading this episode was like having a dream I didn't want to end. Every panel felt precious, and more than ever I was appreciative of Miura's greatness as an artist. There will simply not be another one like him again. At least not within our lifetimes.

Ah, Guts. The man who ruined nearly every other protagonist for me. After much bloodshed and heart-wrenching struggle, the last "battle" we see him engage in is a stick sword fight with his son. I adored this image. It will always be burned in my mind. Sure, there are worrying signs, like Guts' physical deterioration, but knowing our good old Struggler, these will be no more than another hurdle to overcome, another struggle in this timeless journey. Just one more obstacle.

Not that I ever doubted Berserk would eventually end happily, but seeing this montage of Guts and his friends enjoying some hard-earned peace was as if Miura was telling us that, yes, this is how Guts journey would have ended anyway.

Thank you, Miura-sensei. May your story live on forever...
 
I’m quite happy with the final episode we received. Whether by chance, perhaps by fate, i love this moment where it seems all things are as close as possible to complete peace within the story. Such a seemingly amazing spot to end.
 
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Hi! Been lurking for years, but first time posting ever. Just wanted to share a little personal speculation. I've noticed that in the final panel Griffith seems to be crying on only one side of the face, which is kind of unusual (tears could be hided but since his tears comes from the side closest to the nose seems unlikely). To me, this looks as a subtle but powerful symbolism and hint of his dual nature (on one side he doesn't care at all as Griffith persona, on the other he show his emotional weakness with the moonlight boy heart). Also, it would perfectly fit the "single tear as morning dew" line. It is possible that I'm just overreading it, but if was intentional, it would be a really cool little detail and delightful touch, I like to see it that way ^^

P.S: forgive my bad grammar, not english native speaker
 

Aazealh

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Hi! Been lurking for years, but first time posting ever. Just wanted to share a little personal speculation. I've noticed that in the final panel Griffith seems to be crying on only one side of the face, which is kind of unusual (tears could be hided but since his tears comes from the side closest to the nose seems unlikely). To me, this looks as a subtle but powerful symbolism and hint of his dual nature (on one side he doesn't care at all as Griffith persona, on the other he show his emotional weakness with the moonlight boy heart). Also, it would perfectly fit the "single tear as morning dew" line. It is possible that I'm just overreading it, but if was intentional, it would be a really cool little detail and delightful touch, I like to see it that way ^^

Hi! Well, it's actually pretty straightforward when you consider what he's saying:

I dreamed…
Of becoming a child during a full moon night
I was cradled in the warmth that I had missed.

However,
When I wake up from the dream
Only a faint feeling of desolation is left...

…And even that disappears immediately
With one streak of tears
Like morning dew


This translation is courtesy of @puella.

What he's talking about here are the feelings of the boy. When he (Femto) "wakes up from the dream", out of the boy's emotions, "only a faint feeling of desolation is left". That refers to the anguish of the boy at his condition, isolated and far away from his parents (while Femto occupies his body). In Japanese, the word "desolation" in this sentence doesn't just refer to being lonely, but more like being alone in a vast desert place. It's a pretty specific word and not chosen arbitrarily.

Then Griffith states that even that feeling of desolation disappears immediately, along with a single streak of tears. This is basically a comment on the "handover" of the body as Femto regains control of it. For a brief instant, he feels the boy's emotions, but they fade right away. That streak of tears is the physical expression of the boy's sorrow as he's pushed back below the surface during the transformation. And like you said, thematically it can be seen as a reflection on the duality of having Femto and the boy "share" one body.

The whole thing is essentially Femto's commentary on how happy the boy is to be with his mom and dad, and how miserable the boy feels the rest of the time. So despite the visuals, it's a straight-up "I'm a real evil son of a bitch, aren't I?" moment from our main antagonist here. And yet it also hints at how inconvenient this situation is for him.
 
Hi! I've had this account for a long time, so I felt like I needed to post something now. With Griffith and the boy coming back into the story I was thinking that maybe the concept of exorcism would be brought up by the Gurus or Danann as a possible way to save the boy from Femto. Of course I don't know how exactly this exorcism would work, especially against a member of the God Hand or if it would even be a good idea in the first place but I just wanted to see what you guys would think about it.
 

Aazealh

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Hi! I've had this account for a long time, so I felt like I needed to post something now. With Griffith and the boy coming back into the story I was thinking that maybe the concept of exorcism would be brought up by the Gurus or Danann as a possible way to save the boy from Femto. Of course I don't know how exactly this exorcism would work, especially against a member of the God Hand or if it would even be a good idea in the first place but I just wanted to see what you guys would think about it.

Hello Mish! Yeah I've been thinking for some years now that the ending would revolve around the separation of Femto from the boy (so that Guts can properly kick his ass). How that would take place however is not entirely clear yet at this point in the story. I don't think it'd be an exorcism in the Catholic sense, but a ritual could indeed be involved. We were talking about it in the chat yesterday, and I was saying I could see how Farnese and Casca for example could have to undertake something of the sort. A key element for it might be the mana ("true name") of the boy, a concept that was introduced in episode 324.
 
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