Episode 375

[Walter]

BERSERK Episode 375 will be published in Young Animal #22, slated to be released on November 10.

Source: https://imgur.com/f0ENrqq

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This episode is part of the new serialization of Berserk that is being done without Kentarou Miura. It's based on some of the material he left behind as well as what he had told his close ones of the story over the years. Kouji Mori, his best friend and a fellow mangaka, writes and supervises the series while his former assistants draw it under the banner of Studio Gaga.


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Berserk Continuation Episode Summaries:

365: Griffith's presence is felt across the island. Casca runs toward Griffith but begins bleeding and triggering (random) memories.
366: Guts swings at Griffith but cannot land a hit. Schierke detects a maelstrom of power around Griffith. Zodd lands on the island.
367: Danan senses something dark rising from beneath the island. Griffith grabs Casca. The cherry tree loses its blossoms, and the island begins to break apart.
368: Gnawers emerge from the cracks, devouring the island. Roderick prepares the ship to depart. Guts despairs at the loss of Casca.
369: The island begins to sink. The elves vanish (except for Puck and Ivalera).
370: On the Sea Horse, Molda rallies Farnese to help heal the injured. Roderick is worried about Guts. In the ship's hold, Guts despairs his failure.
371: Schierke peeks in Guts' mind but is repelled by the Beast's jaws. Griffith arrives in Falconia with Casca.
372: Casca explores Falconia in a subdued state. Fleeting memories of her past provoke a failed escape attempt. Griffith sends his forces east.
373: Serpico says other magic users have begun to lose their powers. Schierke tries to locate Casca using a spell that requires everyone's concentration. During this, they are invaded by Kushan soldiers. Guts is taunted by the Beast.
374: Kushans, led by Silat, take over the Seahorse and bloodlessly capture everyone. They approach Guts with caution. Rickert is with the Kushans.

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[Vitris]

Let's brace ourselves, this reunion is gonna be quite something. It's a moment that we've been waiting for for many years with excitement when Miura was still with us, but now I'm honestly scared of what we're about to witness.

 

[Walter]

Let's brace ourselves, this reunion is gonna be quite something. It's a moment that we've been waiting for for many years with excitement when Miura was still with us, but now I'm honestly scared of what we're about to witness.

Rickert: Guts! I knew you'd still be alive, even after everything. But where's Casca...?
Everyone: Who's Casca?
Guts: ...My sword don't cut no good. *falls on face*

 

[Vitris]

Rickert: Guts! I knew you'd still be alive, even after everything. But where's Casca...?
Everyone: Who's Casca?
Guts: ...My sword don't cut no good. *falls on face*

Rickert slaps Guts back to his senses, Cyberpunk 2077's theme starts playing.
Rickert: "Wake the fuck up, black swordsman. We have Falconia to burn."

 

[guuuuuuuuts]

Rickert slaps Guts back to his senses, Cyberpunk 2077's theme starts playing.
Rickert: "Wake the fuck up, black swordsman. We have Falconia to burn."

The slap is so hard we cut to Guts, Caska, Rickert and Griffith and everyone else in Falconia at the boatyard.... Their eyes all begin to meet as Guts re-opens both eyes in disbelief...

"...Rickert?"
"Guts!"
"Rickert"
"Caska?!"
"G- Guts -and...G- G- Griffith..."
"Caska... ...Gri.... GRiiiiiFFFFIIIITTTHHH!"

CLANG

 

[TheItCrOw]

I somehow bet we're not getting the reunion just yet. Instead, we switch back to Griffith for one single episode where we learn that Falconia was in fact not only created near the ocean to justify a haven, but was also conveniently "built" just above old elven mine tunnels, which will come in super handy for infiltration and boosting Shierke's magic power .

Jokes aside, I really do believe we will get a change of scenes. It's just too perfect of a cliff hanger... Although I'm unsure where we supposed to switch to

 

[Vitris]

I really do believe we will get a change of scenes. It's just too perfect of a cliff hanger...

I completely forgot about Schierke's (useless and confusing) ritual. We could actually switch POV and focus on her, but of course the problem will be how much they'll show us and what. Despite the fact that the chapters have gotten longer in mere terms of number of pages, they don't know how to write substantial dialogue, nor how to depict scenes in an interesting way. Hell, we might even get just one page where she only says "Caska is in Falconia" and call it a day.

 

[TheItCrOw]

I completely forgot about Schierke's (useless and confusing) ritual. We could actually switch POV and focus on her, but of course the problem will be how much they'll show us and what. Despite the fact that the chapters have gotten longer in mere terms of number of pages, they don't know how to write substantial dialogue, nor how to depict scenes in an interesting way. Hell, we might even get just one page where she only says "Caska is in Falconia" and call it a day.

True, that might be. Maybe she actually sees Falconia and flies above it. At this point, why not

 

[ApostleBob]

Silly predictions:

Guts will cry about his sword.
The unleashed beast might make Guts randomly kill a bunch of Kushans or even prompt a rematch with Silat (because that's the series now).
I'd love a two-page spread of Rickert slapping Guts out of his funk.
Serpico, Isidro, and Scheirke will have pages of dialogue that amount to nothing, or just describe what we already see.
Azan will do nothing.
Daiba will be in tow and have a magic solution for the group.
Rickert and Silat will offer to take them back to the Bakiraka refugee camp.

And the art will be pretty good but with disjointed paneling.

 

[Vitris]

The unleashed beast might make Guts randomly kill a bunch of Kushans or even prompt a rematch with Silat

I don't think this will happen, given the name of the latest episode and what we know is Guts' current state. The latest two episodes basically reiterated something we've known for years: the beast is "waiting for the perfect opportunity", because it wants everyone that Guts loves to die, and Caska is the missing piece. In episode 373 it also mentiones Guts wanting "power", whatever that means. I guess that after what happened in Elfhelm, the beast is waiting for Guts to find a way to actually hurt Griffith, since its ultimate goal is to kill him.

Rickert and Silat will offer to take them back to the Bakiraka refugee camp.

To me it seems like Rickert & co are there to specifically take Guts away from the group. Yes, it doesn't make any sense because this situation is so contrived and it's completely out of character for Rickert, but this is what the continuation has offered us until now.

I just expect Rickert to have some cheap, probably copy-pasted dialogue from a previous episode, and maybe Guts will actually say his first words about Caska, and then he'll eventually talk about the Dragonslayer. Or maybe it'll be the other way around.

 

[Odysseus]

>Repeat of last episode but from Rickert's POV with an insubstantial flashback to maybe explain how they got here but probably not.
>Plot progresses by another two pages.
>To be continued

 

[Keratos]

All these pre-episode predictions are way more entertaining to read through than actually reading the new episodes

 

[blodvind]

I somehow bet we're not getting the reunion just yet. Instead, we switch back to Griffith for one single episode where we learn that Falconia was in fact not only created near the ocean to justify a haven, but was also conveniently "built" just above old elven mine tunnels, which will come in super handy for infiltration and boosting Shierke's magic power .

Jokes aside, I really do believe we will get a change of scenes. It's just too perfect of a cliff hanger... Although I'm unsure where we supposed to switch to

I can see it coming back to Casca. I would not be surprised and I am prepared for that.

 

[Vitris]

All these pre-episode predictions are way more entertaining to read through than actually reading the new episodes

Calling them predictions is a stretch. So far things are getting pretty simple and dull for how badly they're portrayed. I truly wish that a future episode will make us speculate more and complain less. It doesn't have to be a great episode or whatever, just decent.I just hope this boat doesn't sink even deeper.

I can see it coming back to Casca.

I don't really see a reason to go back to her POV. This situation isn't like her reunion with Guts back in volume 40: we're in the middle of nowhere, during what should be a sequence with some sense of danger (it's not), and they've already established what she's going through.
They now have to make sense of Guts and Rickert's reunion and establish the new status quo, wherever they're going to. Only then I think we'll have more episodes with Casca, or maybe we'll get to see what Griffith is going to do in the East, which will probably be his biggest military campaign yet.

 

[guuuuuuuuts]

True, that might be. Maybe she actually sees Falconia and flies above it. At this point, why not

Makes sense in terms of the group making their way there, plus having an excuse for drawing some nice spreads over the city.

I truly wish that a future episode will make us speculate more and complain less. It doesn't have to be a great episode or whatever, just decent.I just hope this boat doesn't sink even deeper.

So, what else could happen? Right now it seems the boat is waiting to arrive, Caska is waiting to be saved, and Griffith's band is gazing out to the horizon. I suppose the time jump can now come into effect, to show other things that happened outside of Skellig

 

[Aazealh]

I suppose the time jump can now come into effect, to show other things that happened outside of Skellig

The group didn't stay on Skellig long enough for there to be a time jump. They were there for something like a week.

 

[Sølid]

The group didn't stay on Skellig long enough for there to be a time jump. They were there for something like a week.

With the amount of story-breaking plot holes and the blatant misunderstanding of the story, I would not be surprised in the slightest if they did this.

 

[Vitris]

So, the leaks are out. I can't understand Japanese, but here's what I got upon looking at this episode. If something I complain about is explained in the dialogues, I apologize in advance.
Apparently, the Seahorse was boarded because they are now in Kushan's territory. How this is even possible is beyond me. How long have Roderick and crew been sailing for? Did they even have a destination in mind? The answer is: the plot needs them to be there, so who cares?
Daiba is there too, but he doesn't do much other than talking to Silat.
Almost half the pages are focused on the characters, especially Isidro, reacting to Guts falling on the ground (is this a recurring gag?) while the Kushans force him out the room. Rickert finally reveals himself to the crew after seeing Guts, and they're approaching Kushanland.
Of course, Guts still hasn't uttered a word, so, like Mori and team have done in other instances, they're writing around meaningful interactions between characters. There's also the fact that Puck is just standing there doing nothing. He doesn't even acknowledge Rickert's existance.
For some reason, Guts still has the talisman on the brand, even though it should be broken. This is a minor detail, but it still highlights the inconsistencies of this continuation.
Btw I just noticed that the Kushans also wrapped the Dragonslayer in chains to drag it. Is this meant to be funny? Because to me it just looks dumb.
The whole Schierke situation isn't even mentioned. I guess she's living happily ever after in the tree's branches.

 

[Walter]

I'll reserve judgment until I've read the official release, which will be out tomorrow (@ noon ET), but I couldn't resist replying to a few of these:

Apparently, the Seahorse was boarded because they are now in Kushan's territory. How this is even possible is beyond me. How long have Roderick and crew been sailing for? Did they even have a destination in mind? The answer is: the plot needs them to be there, so who cares?

Admittedly when written out like that, it doesn't make any sense at all. But what could be happening is that the Sea Horse sailed near the Bakiraka's headquarters, which we knew was likely on the continent. Because to arrive at the Kushan native territory would require circumnavigation of the globe. But hey, what's crazier—adding a sea next to "MIDDLE LAND" Falconia or circumnavigating the globe in a few episodes?

There's also the fact that Puck is just standing there doing nothing. He doesn't even acknowledge Rickert's existance.

Yeah, this hurts... Those guys were buddies.

For some reason, Guts still has the talisman on the brand, even though it should be broken. This is a minor detail, but it still highlights the inconsistencies of this continuation.

I can't say I've kept track of it through the continuation, but it was still on Guts in the last few eps with Miura. It could have remained there all along, even if they didn't showcase it. Afterall, Slan broke the talisman in the Qliphoth, but it was with her touch. Nothing like that happened with Femto.

 

[Vitris]

Admittedly when written out like that, it doesn't make any sense at all. But what could be happening is that the Sea Horse sailed near the Bakiraka's headquarters, which we knew was likely on the continent. Because to arrive at the Kushan native territory would require circumnavigation of the globe. But hey, what's crazier—adding a sea next to "MIDDLE LAND" Falconia or circumnavigating the globe in a few episodes?

Someone translated a little bit of dialogue and Silat says that the ship has "sailed to Kushan waters". I guess that the dialogue would've been different if they were in Bakiraka's territory? Why am I asking questions to which not even the team behind this probably have the answers to? Even if they ended up in Bakiraka's HQ, there's still a problem: why are they there?

Afterall, Slan broke the talisman in the Qliphoth, but it was with her touch. Nothing like that happened with Femto.

In episode 369's last page you can see that the brand doesn't have the talisman on it. So I guess that it broke and they didn't show us?

 

[Walter]

Someone translated a little bit of dialogue and Silat says that the ship has "sailed to Kushan waters". I guess that the dialogue would've been different if they were in Bakiraka's territory? Why am I asking questions to which not even the team behind this probably have the answers to? Even if they ended up in Bakiraka's HQ, there's still a problem: why are they there?

Simple—for the continuation, Bakiraka and Kushan are equivalent

As for how/why they ended up there, they didn't know where it was, so it wasn't intentional. Roderick hasn't even discussed their destination, which I assume was just "the continent." So, by chance they landed near the Bakiraka's secret base. Quick, deploy all named characters in the vicinity!

 

[Vitris]

Simple—for the continuation, Bakiraka and Kushan are equivalent

Silly me, I forgot that the rules Miura established are being completely ignored.

I'm reading a rough translation right now. There really isn't any new information or whatever (color me shocked), but here's a quick summary.

Basically the first four pages can be summarized like this: Daiba predicted the ship's arrival, but they don't know why it's there.

The sequence with Isidro just shows us that he can't believe that Guts is in that state, and then calls him an idiot (we get how you feel, Isi).

Rickert talks to Roderick and just tells him that he's surprised to see people like them there and that he has his own reason to be part of the Kushan army, and captures them for the time being.

 

[ApostleBob]

Simple—for the continuation, Bakiraka and Kushan are equivalent

I think at this point it's safe to assume that Mori and Studio Gaga are less familiar with the series than this Forum community.

You would have thought that they'd re-read the series a few times before embarking on this, to brush up on key details in order to deliver earned payoffs.

The art looks mostly nice though.

 

[Sammoniac]

Hey what's up everybody? I rarely post here, but I feel like I should give my take on the current chapters and their reception in general.

Let me start by making this clear; I do not enjoy the new episodes, broadly speaking. Apart from the art that I find extremely surprising, I think they have significant problems and are very lackluster. Bad pacing, bland writing, non-compliance to the Berserk world rules and established facts, absence of emotional and narrative weight to key scenes, bad handling of, let's be real here, a huge cast of characters. It's logical though; there's no way this can work if they don't take a few years to better learn their craft and research the series, as well as hiring one or more competent and fully dedicated writers. Berserk elevated above it's medium and ascended as a piece of literature comparable to Tolkien or even Malazan. It has to be treated as such. But Hakusensha probably put a lot of pressure on poor Mori to continue his best friend's life work. A daunting task and I command him for it. This shit is fucking hard to pull off, even on an emotional level.

The reason for my post is to adress some of the criticism that I see here and on the podcast. I understand the bitterness of it all, trust me, but I also think some people here criticize some elements of the plot a bit too fast. For example the fact that the Kushian base was conveniently on the ship's route. Who knows if Miura wouldn't have done the same? I'm almost 100% sure Miura had several detailed maps that he made throughout the years in his notes. Maybe the Kushians were really there and that's what Miura would have done. Same for Guts' crippling depression. I'm pretty positive it would have happened, as a last struggle to overcome before the final stretch of the story. I find that we cannot be too quick to complain about things that Miura could plausibly have done. What I have a problem with is that this continuation delivers those plot points in a very clumsy way. Guts not thinking about Casca for example.

With all our respect and admiration for Miura, I think we should be careful about criticizing major plot points. I understand that they take shortcuts, but maybe Miura would have done so as well, just in a much, much more organic way. I think that Mori and the 7 assistants have one of the toughest jobs in fiction right now, and at the pace they are going they will get better fast. They already are, in fact. I find the recent episodes to be better than the first ones. And the art....man. As an artist myself, I'm baffled that they pull off an acceptable quality in a style that isn't even their own. This project does have that going for it, and I'm sure the rest will get better. We are lucky to at least get to know what kind of ending Miura planned for us

I find it really saddening that the Japanese fan base is so disconnected from western ones. I would truly love to know what they think. I'd be surprised if Mori gets any concrete criticism though. Japanese people in general aren't very vocal when it comes to these things.

 

[Aazealh]

Hey there Sammoniac. I hope you are well. Below are my answers to your comments.

there's no way this can work if they don't take a few years to better learn their craft and research the series, as well as hiring one or more competent and fully dedicated writers.

I hope you realize what you describe will not happen. They will not hire writers or take more time to research the series than they have already, and what's being produced in the meantime will remain as it is. The best we can expect "in a few years" is that the project will be over.

But Hakusensha probably put a lot of pressure on poor Mori to continue his best friend's life work.

That's not how Mori has described what happened.

The reason for my post is to adress some of the criticism that I see here and on the podcast. I understand the bitterness of it all, trust me, but I also think some people here criticize some elements of the plot a bit too fast. For example the fact that the Kushian base was conveniently on the ship's route.

You are being very presumptuous here. First by assuming we are bitter. I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly am not bitter, just clear-eyed about this project and saddened about what's being done to Berserk.

Second, you're being presumptuous by thinking we're talking without sufficient knowledge to back up what we say. You may not know or remember certain things, but it doesn't mean they are not to be found in the manga. In this case, the way the Bakiraka have been introduced and portrayed does not make sense and cannot be reconciled with what Miura had set up for the geography of the world and the goals of the characters. The confusion between that very specific clan and the Kushans (there's no 'i') at large is just another egregious error to add to the pile.

Do note that I haven't seen episode 375, since it isn't officially out. But I already know it won't change anything to what I just said.

Who knows if Miura wouldn't have done the same?

I know. How? Simple: because it's not at all how he set things up. This isn't rocket science. It's not a case where two possibilities are equally likely. The way the plot is being pushed forward simply does not work within the framework Miura had established. Mori and the assistants are taking huge shortcuts without regard for the story structure or the characters, like they've been doing from the beginning. They even straight-up changed Falconia's geography to suit their purpose. So given this and everything else, it's not hard for us to know that Miura wouldn't have done things like this.

And you may not believe me right now, but you will eventually know it yourself if you really care to. Once you've resigned yourself to the truth. Because that's really what it comes down to. You already recognize that the project is lacking in important respects, but you want to believe it's going to get better and will all make sense in the end. I understand that desire, that hope. Truly I do. Unfortunately, it's futile. The only difference between us is that I recognized it sooner.

I'm almost 100% sure Miura had several detailed maps that he made throughout the years in his notes. Maybe the Kushians were really there and that's what Miura would have done.

There is no need for you to try to self-convince yourself in such a manner (without any basis in fact ). We know that Berserk's world roughly resembles our own. We saw the planet it exists on in volume 34. We also know that our characters are deep into the Western sea, and that the Kushan empire is situated far to the East of Midland. What else do we know? That the Bakiraka are a small faction, not tied to the empire anymore, whose secret fortress was located in the lands they were exiled to centuries ago, not in the Kushan empire. I could go on and on.

Same for Guts' crippling depression. I'm pretty positive it would have happened, as a last struggle to overcome before the final stretch of the story.

No one's denying Guts might have had a crisis of confidence. But it would not have happened in the way it is portrayed here. This is what's important, and it should be obvious to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the series.

With all our respect and admiration for Miura, I think we should be careful about criticizing major plot points.

And I think you're being presumptuous again. What's the major plot point here exactly? That Guts' group would eventually meet with Rickert and the Bakiraka? We already knew that 8 years ago. The problem is how it's happening. You know, what you mentioned earlier: "bad pacing, bland writing, non-compliance to the Berserk world rules and established facts, absence of emotional and narrative weight"... In that regard, I don't think we disagree. It's all about the execution.

I generally dislike posts that brandish vague notions without getting into specifics because they tend to misrepresent the positions of others. So if you're confident you can explain anything away as "something Miura would have done", feel free to go to the previous episode thread and reply to what I said there with a detailed rebuttal. In fact, feel free to go to any of these threads and do so for each specific part you feel is being unfairly assessed. But I think you'll find it's not so easy. In any case, there's one thing you can be sure of: any criticism I have voiced for the continuation has been very carefully weighed and considered.

We are lucky to at least get to know what kind of ending Miura planned for us

I would advise you to wait until you see what they produce before being thankful for it.

I'd be surprised if Mori gets any concrete criticism though. Japanese people in general aren't very vocal when it comes to these things.

You are mistaken. Mori himself has commented that they have received letters of complaints from fans who said they would never read this "fake Berserk". Most of Berserk's biggest fans are in Japan, and I would bet their opinions are much more aligned with ours than with the average scanlation reader.