Episode 368

Aazealh

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But does he have to do it himself? Could he not order their deaths if that is the case?

I mean he woke up on the island with the two of them looking at him. He may have anticipated the situation, but it's not like he came of his own volition. It's the boy who went there and Griffith had no real choice in the matter. So he took action. In another context, yes maybe he could have ordered someone to do it and maybe that would have been a workaround, but that's very speculative to even bring up. Do note though that he may send apostles after Guts in the future.
 
This was my impression too, I was optimistic that their art would atleast match duranki, but they could not even match that. It was all miura at the end of the day. Apparently they were supposed to be trained in Miura's style to help with berserk. Not sure what they have been doing this whole time.
At the end of the day, we are left with a pale imitation. And I don't mean that as any slight towards Studio Gaga. It is a credit to them that they can stylistically emulate their sensei's artwork, but Miura's use of panelling and full page spreads were in a class of their own. They're also trying to frame a story from a second-hand source, which is why a lot of it feels half-baked and underwritten. That said, it was partly their decision to take up the mantle. The manga didn't necessarily need a continuation.

I'm morbidly curious how the rest of the plot will play out from the tidbits Mori has been told. Is a lot of the foreshadowing and build up that would've been crafted by Miura going to be skipped in huge chunks? Surely at some point they will be forced to use artistic license to fill in the gaps for the sake of continuity?
 
This was my impression too, I was optimistic that their art would atleast match duranki, but they could not even match that. It was all miura at the end of the day. Apparently they were supposed to be trained in Miura's style to help with berserk. Not sure what they have been doing this whole time.
The art is really the least of my concerns. It looks fine. Even if there's some "off" looking faces and lazy backgrounds sometimes, it's still a lot better than I ever could've hoped honestly. Every episode so far has had at least one standout page I really like (in this episode it is the page of Guts' arm extending out as Griffith and Zodd become a small white speck in the sky).

I'd say the real issue with this project (beyond the huge list Aaz wrote lol) is that the pacing is bad and their paneling/framing leaves a lot to be desired. There's a lot of examples to choose from already, such as Schierke and Farnese vanishing last episode, but the stand out in this episode for me is how Skull Knight makes his entrance. He cuts one small little ooze monster in a small panel, and then he's just there. It really lacks impact, it looks pathetic lol. A huge wave of ooze guys should've descended on Isidro and co., looking totally hopeless, but there's a small panel of some dark shadow rushing in. Then on the next page you have this huge dramatic panel of SK blowing all the ooze away with a sword stroke, Isidro and Isma stumbling to the ground behind him. Y'know a flashy entrance.
 
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But does he have to do it himself? Could he not order their deaths if that is the case?

Never thought about this, but say he ordered their deaths, the order would be given to apostles and at this point guts is powerful enough to defend against multiple apostles. Although Griffith might not be aware of that yet.

He cuts one small little ooze monster in a small panel, and then he's just there.

That was very pathetic I almost laughed when I read it. He does this awesome slash and then we see the one tiny ooze monster die lol
 
Never thought about this, but say he ordered their deaths, the order would be given to apostles and at this point guts is powerful enough to defend against multiple apostles. Although Griffith might not be aware of that yet.
Look at how well it went when either Griffith or Locus ordered Rakshas to kill Rickert.
 
Never thought about this, but say he ordered their deaths, the order would be given to apostles and at this point guts is powerful enough to defend against multiple apostles. Although Griffith might not be aware of that yet.
There are so many ways Griffith could have Guts killed that I don't think this is an issue. He can send an army after him, or have one of his God Hand buddies kill him, and so on.

In any case, I'm satisfied with Aaz's answer for the current context, and I think he's right that it is speculative, since it would all depend on the extent of the boy's power over Griffith whether or not something like that could work.
 
Sorry to keep repeating the same thing but... They've already been filling gaps, even if it's on a smaller scale. That ship has sailed.
It's the difference between adding inconsequential stuff for the sake of making it readable and adding whole new plot events and character developments that go far beyond what Mori knew from Miura, I guess.

One criticism you had was how the Merrows were seemingly psychic to have been able to warn Rodrick about the impending danger far enough in advance for him to already be preparing to leave. To me, it seemed that their warning was a follow up to the first scene of 365, where we see the inhabitants of the island sense Griffith's arrival, not some psychic premonition. The way the story is shown to us, that makes no sense because Griffith just emerged a few minutes ago, so how is Rodrick already so far along in preparing to leave? But if we assume that more was supposed to happen with Griffith than we're shown that would've taken longer, suddenly there's no issue. Let's say, if Mori added a sequence where Schierke and Farnese actually try to fend Griffith off while Guts fights Zodd, or maybe even the Gurus show up to do something, dragging out the sequence before Griffith nabs Casca. Those are the sorts of bigger non-Miura additions that people are more imagining I think.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
It's the difference between adding inconsequential stuff for the sake of making it readable and adding whole new plot events and character developments that go far beyond what Mori knew from Miura, I guess.

Yeah, but the "inconsequential stuff" is actually not inconsequential at all, that's the problem. Just like the omission of events has a huge impact on the story.

One criticism you had was how the Merrows were seemingly psychic to have been able to warn Rodrick about the impending danger far enough in advance for him to already be preparing to leave. To me, it seemed that their warning was a follow up to the first scene of 365, where we see the inhabitants of the island sense Griffith's arrival, not some psychic premonition. The way the story is shown to us, that makes no sense because Griffith just emerged a few minutes ago, so how is Rodrick already so far along in preparing to leave? But if we assume that more was supposed to happen with Griffith than we're shown that would've taken longer, suddenly there's no issue.

For info it's Roderick with an 'e' in the middle. And for what it's worth Roderick does specifically use a word that translates to 'oracle' or 'revelation'. He doesn't just say they warned him. Anyway, Walter proposed on the podcast that the scene could simply follow what we see in episode 365 when the merrows detect Griffith's presence. And sure, it could have been Mori's intent, but like I said and like you point out, only a minute or two elapse at most between 365 and 368, so it's impossible for the entire crew to be so advanced in preparing to leave. And it would still be impossible if it had been 15 minutes instead.

Besides, he reflects on having informed the village, but when and how? And why didn't he inform his own companions then, since they are in the village? And there also remains the question of why Isma's mother didn't warn her daughter. You see, it's not so simple to fix these inconsistencies. But I agree that merely changing the timeline of events a little bit would already greatly impact the way everything went down, as I believe I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Let's say, if Mori added a sequence where Schierke and Farnese actually try to fend Griffith off while Guts fights Zodd, or maybe even the Gurus show up to do something, dragging out the sequence before Griffith nabs Casca. Those are the sorts of bigger non-Miura additions that people are more imagining I think.

Those aren't good examples, because they're almost certainly things Miura would have shown happening if this sequence of events was really what he had planned (which I don't think is sure at all, for example regarding Zodd's presence). It feels a bit silly to call them "non-Miura additions" when clearly Miura would have not have had characters literally disappear or get displaced from a panel to the next.

Anyway, just to refresh everyone's memory, what Mori specifically said was: "I have a message and promise to everyone. I will recall the details as much as possible and tell the story. Also, I will only write the episodes that Miura talked to me about. I will not flesh it out. I will not write episodes that I don’t remember clearly. I will only write the lines and stories that Miura described to me. Of course, it will not be perfect. Still, I think I can almost tell the story that Miura wanted to tell."

Like I said some days ago, as far as I'm concerned he's already gone back on his word quite a bit. That's the difference between theory and practice.:shrug:
 
Yeah, but the "inconsequential stuff" is actually not inconsequential at all, that's the problem. Just like the omission of events has a huge impact on the story.
Okay "inconsequential" was probably a poor choice of words. Every little choice they make will inevitably influence how the project feels, and you in particular have already gone over the dire consequences at length. I'm more just saying that to our knowledge they aren't inventing and big new story beats. Most of what they've assumedly added is probably in an effort to gloss over things they don't know, which has its own effect on the story. This isn't "Mori writes Berserk while using his memories of what Miura told him as an outline to build on", it's "Mori sticks closely to what he remembers, perhaps to a fault, while only adding the bare minimum to make the story comprehensible (which has its own negative effects by way omission and not leaving room for things that could've otherwise happened)".
And for what it's worth Roderick does specifically use a word that translates to 'oracle' or 'revelation'. He doesn't just say they warned him. Anyway, Walter proposed on the podcast that the scene could simply follow what we see in episode 365 when the merrows detect Griffith's presence. And sure, it could have been Mori's intent, but like I said and like you point out, only a minute or two elapse at most between 365 and 368, so it's impossible for the entire crew to be so advanced in preparing to leave. And even if it had been 15 minutes instead, it still would have been impossible.

Besides, he reflects on having informed the village, but when and how? And why didn't he inform his own companions then, since they are in the village? And there also remains the question of why Isma's mother didn't warn her daughter. You see, it's not so simple to fix these inconsistencies. But I agree that merely changing the timeline of events a little bit would already greatly impact the way everything went down, as I believe I mentioned earlier in the thread.
The whole sequence doesn't really hold up to scrutiny if you pick it apart too much. It's like you guys said in the podcast, why do all the other magical creatures sense Griffith coming but not Danan? Why would the merrows have a premonition of catastrophe and not the Gurus who have specifically been mentioned has having the powers of divination before? Why didn't Isma's mother warn her if this "oracle" came well before Griffith emerged, and why didn't Roderick send his messenger sooner? How is Roderick's crew already prepared to leave if the "oracle" only happened like three minutes earlier? The whole thing would need to be rewritten a bit for this to make any sense.
Those aren't good examples, because they're almost certainly things Miura would have shown happening if this sequence of events was really what he had planned (which I don't think is sure at all, for example regarding Zodd's presence). It feels a bit silly to call them "non-Miura additions" when clearly Miura would have not have had characters literally disappear or get displaced from a panel to the next.
What I meant by "non-Miura additions" was Mori adding elaborate set pieces, such as what I used as an example, despite it not being something Miura explicitly told him would happen. I'm not saying Miura himself wouldn't have included such a scene, in fact I feel like it was probably something that would've happened. What 'm saying is, Mori is not making logical assumptions about how characters would act and what they would do to create scenes, instead he's just handwaving them if he's not sure what Miura had in mind. It's why Schierke and Farnese disappear instead of putting up a resistance.

Though I also agree that he's almost certainly already added some things that weren't strictly within his knowledge from Miura. Zodd seems like the clearest example, as you mentioned. He really does not need to be there, his presence adds basically nothing and creates a plot hole. Griffith probably could have flown himself away just fine, but the image of him riding Zodd is "iconic", which is I assume why he was included. Why that was okay while having Schierke and Farnese do literally anything at all wasn't, I have no idea.
 

Aazealh

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I'm more just saying that to our knowledge they aren't inventing and big new story beats. Most of what they've assumedly added is probably in an effort to gloss over things they don't know, which has its own effect on the story. This isn't "Mori writes Berserk while using his memories of what Miura told him as an outline to build on", it's "Mori sticks closely to what he remembers, perhaps to a fault, while only adding the bare minimum to make the story comprehensible (which has its own negative effects by way omission and not leaving room for things that could've otherwise happened)".

Yeah, I know. I've said so myself several times before. But my point is that it doesn't really matter, because they're still "filling gaps" and what they're creating is still compromised. Which means that the distinction becomes almost unimportant. That's what I was trying to point out. For example, the scene between Isidro and the Skull Knight isn't more "minor" to me than seeing the Great Gurus intervene or Guts having a battle with an apostle (random examples).

What 'm saying is, Mori is not making logical assumptions about how characters would act and what they would do to create scenes, instead he's just handwaving them if he's not sure what Miura had in mind.

Is that so? From where I stand, a number of scenes in this episode seem to be created based on assumptions about how characters would act.

Which is why, like I said on the podcast, I think seeing Casca in Falconia is going to be a very delicate moment for this project. If mishandled, it could really damage it —and possibly Berserk as a whole. Miura wasn't just great at introducing shocking twists, but also at subverting expectations. Whatever it is he had planned, I don’t doubt it was great. But the problem is… Can these guys do it justice? And how much of his plans do they even know? I can't deny that I am apprehensive about it.
 
Is that so? From where I stand, a number of scenes in this episode seem to be created based on assumptions about how characters would act.
The dialogue almost certainly is, this episode has made that much abundantly clear, but the basics of "Skull Knight saves Isidro and co." or "Roderick makes to leave the island" may well have been a part of what Mori knew, which is more what I'm talking about. They will of course have to make up specific details themselves, but it is not quite the same as making whole new scenes based on assumptions. The ramifications they have on the story are similar though, so yeah, maybe the distinction is not so important.

There's also a chance those scenes were made up, we don't really have a way of knowing, but if that is the case I'd really wonder why they'd show those but not other things that were glaringly omitted. Part of me has been wondering if they were mandated to wrap up the Elf Island chapter within one volume, since 6 episodes is a low amount for an event that feels like it easily could've been much longer and more fleshed out.
Which is why, like I said on the podcast, I think seeing Casca in Falconia is going to be a very delicate moment for this project. If mishandled, it could really damage it —and possibly Berserk as a whole. Miura wasn't just great at introducing shocking twists, but also at subverting expectations. Whatever it is he had planned, I don’t doubt it was great. But the problem is… Can these guys do it justice? And how much of his plans do they even know? I can't deny that I am apprehensive about it.
Yeah, the biggest question for me about this whole thing is how they could possibly do a whole new storyline like this. There are already massive holes showing after only four episodes, and surely that can only get worse the further we get from Miura's work. I doubt anyone here isn't apprehensive.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
The ramifications they have on the story are similar though, so yeah, maybe the distinction is not so important.

That's what I'm saying. It's useless to emphasize a distinction between things that lead to similar results in the end, especially if you consider that what happens now will have consequences on what happens later. And to be clear, the fact Mori isn't going to invent massive parts of the story out of whole cloth is the bare minimum as far as I'm concerned. Otherwise he'd basically be usurping authorship of the work.

There's also a chance those scenes were made up, we don't really have a way of knowing, but if that is the case I'd really wonder why they'd show those but not other things that were glaringly omitted.

It could just be that they considered certain things sufficiently minor and convenient to be acceptable compromises.
 
From where I stand, a number of scenes in this episode seem to be created based on assumptions about how characters would act.

To expand on this, it makes me wonder HOW can they be so far off the mark with their assumptions - like Aazealh mentions, Isidro's character was fully and entirely betrayed - his bravery and reliability were replaced by cowardice, in effect killing all the progress Miura did on his character through the series. The same goes for the remaining members of the cast (well, those who actually got panel time).

But most of all, I think the biggest injustice was done to Guts.
Unless Miura specifically told Mori that Guts lost all of his will to fight after realizing he cannot touch Griffith (yet), it is so out of character for him to just watch his arch nemesis fly away, and with Casca in arms, to boot. He has always been a struggler, but this episode portrays him as a mere quitter, and it feels so terribly wrong. Given his track record, it's so much more likely he'd either fight until incapacitated one way or the other - the painful foreshadowing during his training session on the island showing the toll on his body from using the armour comes to mind - or that Danan/Shierke/Farnesse would (just barely) manage to stop him from being engulfed by the armor's odd again, which would mean he cannot continue the pursuit and would need to regroup and plan his next move with the others (after dealing with the invasion/escaping with the survivors).
I feel like we'd almost certainly see Griffith x Zodd x Guts x SK face off in some shape or form, with assistance from Danan and the gurus, at the very least.

I think Aazealh already said everything there was to say regarding SK's downright laughable appearance in this episode - I wish I could erase those scenes from my memory. They make you wonder why he'd bother with small fries when Griffith is around - and even have inner thoughts on it???? - but it also does a big disservice to the group that was 'rescued' because it makes them look infantile and entirely incompetent in one of the most crucial moments in the story. How could they miss the mark so heavily there?

The team don't appear to have a very good comprehension and grasp of Berserk's characters, their mannerisms and the immense growth they went through over the past 40 volumes, and I feel that, at this rate, and despite their best intentions, they'll be dishonouring - rather than honouring - Miura's legacy. And it's heartbreaking to see panels of Guts watching with desolation on his (poorly drawn) face instead of being the first to act.
My one and last hope now is that Mori will eventually be willing to give an interview to someone (Archipel would be ideal in my mind) about exactly how much and what he remembers. But yea, a long shot.

(Also, shouldn't Casca be bleeding heavily from her brand given her proximity to the one who cast it on her?:shrug:)

I'm more and more reluctant and scared to continue reading because every new episode just tramples on everything Miura has built over the past decades.
 
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To expand on this, it makes me wonder HOW can they be so far off the mark with their assumptions - like Aazealh mentions, Isidro's character was fully and entirely betrayed - his bravery and reliability were replaced by cowardice, in effect killing all the progress Miura did on his character through the series. The same goes for the remaining members of the cast (well, those who actually got panel time).

But most of all, I think the biggest injustice was done to Guts.
Unless Miura specifically told Mori that Guts lost all of his will to fight after realizing he cannot touch Griffith (yet), it is so out of character for him to just watch his arch nemesis fly away, and with Casca in arms, to boot. He has always been a struggler, but this episode portrays him as a mere quitter, and it feels so terribly wrong. Given his track record, it's so much more likely he'd either fight until incapacitated one way or the other - the painful foreshadowing during his training session on the island showing the toll on his body from using the armour comes to mind - or that Danan/Shierke/Farnesse would (just barely) manage to stop him from being engulfed by the armor's odd again, which would mean he cannot continue the pursuit and would need to regroup and plan his next move with the others (after dealing with the invasion/escaping with the survivors).
I feel like we'd almost certainly see Griffith x Zodd x Guts x SK face off in some shape or form, with assistance from Danan and the gurus, at the very least.

I think Aazealh already said everything there was to say regarding SK's downright laughable appearance in this episode - I wish I could erase those scenes from my memory. They make you wonder why he'd bother with small fries when Griffith is around - and even have inner thoughts on it???? - but it also does a big disservice to the group that was 'rescued' because it makes them look infantile and entirely incompetent in one of the most crucial moments in the story. How could they miss the mark so heavily there?

The team don't appear to have a very good comprehension and grasp of Berserk's characters, their mannerisms and the immense growth they went through over the past 40 volumes, and I feel that, at this rate, and despite their best intentions, they'll be dishonouring - rather than honouring - Miura's legacy. And it's heartbreaking to see panels of Guts watching with desolation on his (poorly drawn) face instead of being the first to act.
My one and last hope now is that Mori will eventually be willing to give an interview to someone (Archipel would be ideal in my mind) about exactly how much and what he remembers. But yea, a long shot.

(Also, shouldn't Casca be bleeding heavily from her brand given her proximity to the one who cast it on her?:shrug:)

I'm more and more reluctant and scared to continue reading because every new episode just tramples on everything Miura has built over the past decades.
Here me out on this: It's interesting to see Guts actually succumb to despair after reacting to rage at every injustice inflicted upon him. Everything he went through, everything he did, slowly wrecking his body to the Berserker Armor, just to get her to Elfhelm. When he was at his happiest, Casca was with him. Casca helped him to grow as a person. And all this just to have the one who took her away from her take her away *yet again*. How would you react to that? To see exactly what you've always feared come to pass? Would you immediately get angry? I doubt it. I'm pretty sure he's still in shock, given that the last 4 episodes have taken place over the course of 2-3 minutes. I'm actually surprised at how much negativity there is here surrounding the good intentions the team has here; There's literally nobody on earth more suited to continue Berserk than Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori. Frankly, I'm disappointed by all the pushback here. I haven't been reading Berserk for as long as some of you guys have, but I can honestly say I can accept this continuation so far.
 
Here me out on this: It's interesting to see Guts actually succumb to despair after reacting to rage at every injustice inflicted upon him. Everything he went through, everything he did, slowly wrecking his body to the Berserker Armor, just to get her to Elfhelm. When he was at his happiest, Casca was with him. Casca helped him to grow as a person. And all this just to have the one who took her away from her take her away *yet again*. How would you react to that? To see exactly what you've always feared come to pass? Would you immediately get angry? I doubt it. I'm pretty sure he's still in shock, given that the last 4 episodes have taken place over the course of 2-3 minutes. I'm actually surprised at how much negativity there is here surrounding the good intentions the team has here; There's literally nobody on earth more suited to continue Berserk than Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori. Frankly, I'm disappointed by all the pushback here. I haven't been reading Berserk for as long as some of you guys have, but I can honestly say I can accept this continuation so far.
That the team has good intentions or is putting in effort doesn't necessarily mean they're doing a good job or that we owe them our approval. For my part, I respect them for trying to carry on their mentor's work, but the results have been disappointing so far. Not because they're not at Miura's level (no one expected them to be) but because this continuation simply isn't good, as many members here demonstrated with their points. The difference with Miura's work only underscores that drop.

As for Guts giving up the way he did, no it doesn't work. This man has been through much worse, and even in his lowest moment (Casca's rape in the Eclipse), he continued struggling. Saying he's in shock or that it's understandable for him to break down just because Griffith is flying away with his woman doesn't sound convincing to me at all.

Guts is the type to struggle first and then succumb to despair (if at all), not the other way around.
 
Here me out on this: It's interesting to see Guts actually succumb to despair after reacting to rage at every injustice inflicted upon him. Everything he went through, everything he did, slowly wrecking his body to the Berserker Armor, just to get her to Elfhelm. When he was at his happiest, Casca was with him. Casca helped him to grow as a person. And all this just to have the one who took her away from her take her away *yet again*. How would you react to that? To see exactly what you've always feared come to pass? Would you immediately get angry? I doubt it. I'm pretty sure he's still in shock, given that the last 4 episodes have taken place over the course of 2-3 minutes. I'm actually surprised at how much negativity there is here surrounding the good intentions the team has here; There's literally nobody on earth more suited to continue Berserk than Studio Gaga and Kouji Mori. Frankly, I'm disappointed by all the pushback here. I haven't been reading Berserk for as long as some of you guys have, but I can honestly say I can accept this continuation so far.
I never said he'd go into full blind rage / angry mode. I just don't think he'd throw in the towel without so much as trying to pursue in some way. Like I said, he is not a quitter. If you think it's understandable for him to break so easily and quickly under pressure in one of the most pivotal turning points in the story, you might have not been paying enough attention while reading.

Frankly, I dont think the team alone handle the continuation well. If they had decided to include individuals with vast in-depth knowledge about berserk and comprehension and grasp of the characters and the story (such as some people from this very forum) and someone adept at paneling/story boarding, there at least wouldn't be as many glaring inconsistencies and plain character assassinations....
You can be disappointed by the push back, and I'm terribly disappointed and sad at how poorly this undertaking has been handled so far - even if it was obvious from the get go this was an effort in futility to begin with.

Guts is the type to struggle first and then succumb to despair (if at all), not the other way around.
Exactly. He's a man of action first and foremost.
Only knocking him out or rendering him unable to use the armor (and even then he'd still try doing something) would prevent him from going after Griffith. Or perhaps an intervention from SK. Unfortunately SK is busy slashing the blobs - of all things they could have made him do... :sad:
 
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Honestly in this case where Griffith is already far in the sky, with casca. I think it's fair to say it's a moment guts would feel truly defeated. Just wish we could have seen Miuras execution. He really knew how to convey anguish. In episode 359, when he turns to see casca and she has another breakdown by seeing him, you can really see and feel the pain on his face.
 
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It's really hard to imagine how people who worked with Miura for so long made such mistakes.. did they just forget about the Berserker armor? They are already adding scenes and must've known they were gonna add them for very long. So you make Skullknight.. like that but Berserker armor you can't touch? Where is the line drawn.

It could've been done much better.

Release this new Berserk following Miura's words and sketches but with added scenes to make it make sense, under a new name, and then release a book akin to the guidebook with only what Mori for sure knew Miura was going to make happen potrayed with Miura's words/sketches and drawings by Studio Gaga depicting it.

This way the management is satisfied with the double dip, the fans get both a continuation and Miura's pure plans and Studio Gaga keep a job. Berserk is huge, for sure this wouldn't be unrealistic?

Rest in peace Miura, hopefully all is good in the end.
 
Guts giving in to despair isn't among my issues with the episode, personally. I actually thought that whole sequence was pretty good, though I know that's contentious. I mean, it's not like he just gave up and let Griffith take Casca without a struggle. Here we're seeing him after his efforts failed and Griffith has gotten away. The best he could do in this situation is impotently shoot off some bolts, or fire his cannon arm, which we know would've been useless and only risked hitting Casca. I just wonder how he'll act now that everything he worked for has been brought to ruin.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
This conversation about how Guts would or wouldn't act is missing the point I think. What it comes down to is what I said in my earlier post:

not much to say here, except to repeat that execution matters enormously, often more than the ideas being conveyed.

The entire confrontation between Guts and Griffith is unsatisfying for a myriad of reasons, and they boil down to the fact this team can't replicate what Miura would have done. The idea of Guts feeling despair as Griffith takes Casca away isn't a problem in and of itself, but it's a problem here because it's badly done and comes on the tail of another badly executed sequence. So it feels "unearned" and – in my case at least – elicits no emotion.

And that's a real bummer, because this event is supposed to be among the most dramatic ones in the entire series.
 
I can accept the art not being the best but this is tripping at the starting line with the characters and rules of the world. I hope things will get better in the new arc but even with a trimmed down story there is plenty of delicate character work that needs to be done. These gaps need to be filled in and the philosophy of showing only what Miura said is inadequate and probably already fudged. I highly doubt that Miura said SK would save Isidro of all things. I could accept these episodes as a hastened end to Fantasia but a whole arc of this quality is too structurally damaging to the overall story. My only hope is they changed their mindset at the start of the new arc. Either embrace a short, minimized art book style as some here have suggested, or take your time and put in the effort that is required to finish a project like this.
 
They're never going to live up to Miura's genius, but the bigger issue is that they haven't made it compelling in their own right. This team just lacks the storytelling chops as they are, especially for such a huge moment. It probably would've benefitted them to do something more low-key before being thrust into the thick of it, to get a better feel for writing the characters and learning to storyboard better. I doubt anyone was really wanting officially endorsed Berserk fanfiction though (insert joke about how that's what we're getting anyway here), but something like that might've helped before continuing the main plot.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
This team just lacks the storytelling chops as they are, especially for such a huge moment. It probably would've benefitted them to do something more low-key before being thrust into the thick of it, to get a better feel for writing the characters and learning to storyboard better. I doubt anyone was really wanting officially endorsed Berserk fanfiction though (insert joke about how that's what we're getting anyway here), but something like that might've helped before continuing the main plot.

They started on a very difficult part of the story, to be sure. But they knew that from the beginning. And the promise of this project in the first place was that Mori, himself a professional mangaka and Miura's closest friend, was supposed to know enough of the planned story that they could do it justice.
 
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