I just finished the Millennium Falcon Arc

Okay, that shit was crazy!

The Neo Band of the Falcon! I love how they just decimate battlefields. Locus (I think) impaling 10 heads at once! Zodd just galloping through cleaving horses and soldiers in half. The archer taking off multiple heads per shot. Griffith always looking so majestic and savoir-like, even though his true self is much darker than he appears.

I figured Griffith would "get his own kingdom" at some point. I never anticipated he would literally forge his own kingdom. Did Griffith himself plan all this himself, or was it part of his destiny when he originally received the crimson Beherit? I suppose it's his destiny, but I also suppose since he's a master strategist it's both.

Guts character development is great, I love how he has changed and can put his trust in allies again. Schierke is a great character and one of my favorites, and I think the magic theme is great for this series.

I have a few questions/concerns:
  • What exactly happened with the Skull Knight and Femto? (in vol 34) If SK carved the new world with sword, what exactly does this mean? I thought SK was opposed to the God Hand for some reason.
  • I'm sort of confused of the different cities and factions. Is there any resource with maybe a map of berserk world? I looked a couple days ago and failed to find anything.
  • I'm kind of disappointed with Guts' crew being on a boat forever. I read somewhere they're still on the boat! I think the arc peaked somewhere in the middle, around vol 24-28.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Hello,

I fixed the arc's name for you. Anyway, yes it sure is a cool part of the story. :guts:

ShiffuFirestorm said:
I figured Griffith would "get his own kingdom" at some point. I never anticipated he would literally forge his own kingdom. Did Griffith himself plan all this himself, or was it part of his destiny when he originally received the crimson Beherit? I suppose it's his destiny, but I also suppose since he's a master strategist it's both.

It's simply impossible for Griffith to have planned it himself. Everything that led to those events was for the most part initiated before he was even born. In fact his entire life itself was crafted by the Idea of Evil (the master of the God Hand) to unfold like it did. Getting the beherit was just a step in that process.

ShiffuFirestorm said:
What exactly happened with the Skull Knight and Femto? (in vol 34) If SK carved the new world with sword, what exactly does this mean? I thought SK was opposed to the God Hand for some reason.

I think it's pretty straightforward. The Skull Knight tried to take Femto by surprise, attacking him during a pivotal moment with a sword he's created/modified using beherits. He did that because he believed such a weapon would allow him to kill members of the God Hand. As you know, beherits are gateways between the material and astral worlds, so that also means that he can, with his sword, literally cut through the layers of those worlds. Anyway, Femto had anticipated his actions, simply because he knew the Skull Knight always tries to act during such times when there is some wiggle room as to what can happen. So he deviated his attack, and used it to cut Ganishka instead.

Just before that, Ganishka had used his artificial beherit contraption to descend deep down in the astral world and absorb as much power as he could. He wanted to become powerful enough to measure up to a member of the God Hand. The result was the bloated giant he became. Anyway, when that sword cut him, it didn't just cut the flesh, but cut him right down to the astral level. The result was that it unleashed all the energy he had brought back from the astral world, causing it to spill over the entire world. That was obviously not what the SKull Knight intended, he was just beaten at his own game. And again, given how intricate all these events were, it's pretty clear they were orchestrated by the Idea of Evil.

ShiffuFirestorm said:
I'm sort of confused of the different cities and factions. Is there any resource with maybe a map of berserk world? I looked a couple days ago and failed to find anything.

There is no map. But it's also not very confusing... And if you mean the factions of the Holy See Alliance, we do have a little graphic for it:

holyseealliance.jpg


ShiffuFirestorm said:
I'm kind of disappointed with Guts' crew being on a boat forever. I read somewhere they're still on the boat! I think the arc peaked somewhere in the middle, around vol 24-28.

They have not been travelling on Roderick's ship for that long. They embarked in volume 32, and will likely arrive at their destination in volume 38. And a big part of those volumes has taken place on Griffith's side. Besides, the events that took place while they were at sea have been pretty cool I think.
Some great character development, a couple of cool sea battles, and a little horror story on a mysterious, creepy island with a dark secret (that technically did not occur "on the ship").

Other than that, the Millennium Falcon arc started with volume 22 and ended at the beginning of volume 35, so if anything, volumes 24 to 28 are more near the beginning of it. And I would have to disagree about the later events somehow being less qualitative... Those volumes are all full of absolutely crazy stuff. They've been mind blowing.

Anyway, since I'm at it, let me give you the rundown of the episodes featuring Guts in those volumes: (Beware, spoilers if you haven't read up to volume 37)

Volume 32: The last episode of this volume is the first one of the group at sea. It focuses on overall character development.
Volume 33: 4 episodes with Guts. 2 focus on very important character development, and 2 are a gorgeous sea battle.
Volume 34: No episodes featuring Guts.
Volume 35: 8 episodes with Guts. 3 for the sea battle against the Ghost Ship, 5 on land (exploring the Solitary Island, character development, etc.).
Volume 36: 9 episodes on land (character development, introduction of new elements, fight against the Sea God).
Volume 37: 7 episodes with Guts. 3 on land (end of the Sea God battle), 3 showing a super cool flashback about Guts, 1 at sea acting as epilogue for the Solitary Island's events and a recap of sorts.
Volume 38: None so far. The last one might go back to Guts, and when it does, it'll end the sea voyage.

So in total, the entire sea trip takes up 30 episodes, which is roughly 3 volumes if you put them back to back. However, if you only count the time they're actually "on the boat" (not counting the island or the flashback), there it's just one single volume. And it'd still be selling Berserk extremely short to pretend amazing things don't take place in every single one of those episodes. They're densely packed with cool stuff to take full advantage of the setting, with the bulk of the actual journey happening off-page. And honestly, it would have been a monumental waste to not feature the sea journey at all (and people would have complained). It also wouldn't have appropriately conveyed its actual length and the distance traveled. Plus the story would have not featured Guts for several volumes. So basically it doesn't hold water.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
Other than that, the Millennium Falcon arc started with volume 22 and is still ongoing now, at volume 38, so if anything, volumes 24 to 28 are only the beginning of it. A

But aren't we in the Fantasia Arc since volume 35? (Starting with the Ghost ships 3 parters episodes)
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
jackson_hurley said:
But aren't we in the Fantasia Arc since volume 35? (Starting with the Ghost ships 3 parters episodes)

Ah damn, you're right, how could I have forgotten! I was fixated on the Elf Island chapter for some reason. I'm getting old... :judo:
That doesn't change my point though!
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
Ah damn, you're right, how could I have forgotten! I was fixated on the Elf Island chapter for some reason. I'm getting old... :judo:
That doesn't change my point though!

Haha don't worry about that. How many times have I messed up about a detail in Berserk that I thought I was right?!

For once, I'm proud of myself about that. :slan:

Ps: I figure the Elf Island chapter is not about to finish soon Imo.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
jackson_hurley said:
Ps: I figure the Elf Island chapter is not about to finish soon Imo.

Well, we never know, the Chapter of the Binding Chain only lasted 8 episodes... But yeah, I expect it to go on for a good while more.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
Well, we never know, the Chapter of the Binding Chain only lasted 8 episodes... But yeah, I expect it to go on for a good while more.

Well I think it'll last at least the time they are on Skellig. Unless when they find Elf Helm it might change to something about curing Casca, or about the elf king but I would not put that much money on this guess.
 
Aazealh said:
Well, we never know, the Chapter of the Binding Chain only lasted 8 episodes... But yeah, I expect it to go on for a good while more.
It's called Elf Island chapter for a reason. You can bet it won't finish soon.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Tripas said:
It's called Elf Island chapter for a reason. You can bet it won't finish soon.

Like jackson_hurley said, it could theoretically end upon them reaching the island and something big happening (e.g. Casca being cured). As a reminder, the Falconia chapter ended right after Falconia's appearance (which makes sense if you think about it the right way). But like I mentioned earlier, I actually expect the chapter to last a few volumes more.
 
Aazealh said:
I think it's pretty straightforward. The Skull Knight tried to take Femto by surprise, attacking him during a pivotal moment with a sword he's created/modified using beherits. He did that because he believed such a weapon would allow him to kill members of the God Hand. As you know, beherits are gateways between the material and astral worlds, so that also means that he can, with his sword, literally cut through the layers of those worlds. Anyway, Femto had anticipated his actions, simply because he knew the Skull Knight always tries to act during such times when there is some wiggle room as to what can happen. So he deviated his attack, and used it to cut Ganishka instead.

Just before that, Ganishka had used his artificial beherit contraption to descend deep down in the astral world and absorb as much power as he could. He wanted to become powerful enough to measure up to a member of the God Hand. The result was the bloated giant he became. Anyway, when that sword cut him, it didn't just cut the flesh, but cut him right down to the astral level. The result was that it unleashed all the energy he had brought back from the astral world, causing it to spill over the entire world. That was obviously not what the SKull Knight intended, he was just beaten at his own game. And again, given how intricate all these events were, it's pretty clear they were orchestrated by the Idea of Evil.
Yeah. I read both 33 and 34 yesterday. I was too enthralled by the story and read them poorly. :ganishka: I'm going to reread them.


There is no map. But it's also not very confusing... And if you mean the factions of the Holy See Alliance, we do have a little graphic for it:

holyseealliance.jpg

This is exactly what I meant. Thanks.

They have not been travelling on Roderick's ship for that long. They embarked in volume 32, and will likely arrive at their destination in volume 38. And a big part of those volumes has taken place on Griffith's side. Besides, the events that took place while they were at sea have been pretty cool I think.
Some great character development, a couple of cool sea battles, and a little horror story on a mysterious, creepy island with a dark secret (that technically did not occur "on the ship").

Other than that, the Millennium Falcon arc started with volume 22 and ended at the beginning of volume 35, so if anything, volumes 24 to 28 are more near the beginning of it. And I would have to disagree about the later events somehow being less qualitative... Those volumes are all full of absolutely crazy stuff. They've been mind blowing.

That's true. I meant to say I just enjoyed that part the most. I didn't mean to suggest it was less qualitative, the whole part with Ganishka's massive army was insane!
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
Aazealh said:
Anyway, since I'm at it, let me give you the rundown of the episodes featuring Guts in those volumes: (Beware, spoilers if you haven't read up to volume 37)

Volume 32: The last episode of this volume is the first one of the group at sea. It focuses on overall character development.
Volume 33: 4 episodes with Guts. 2 focus on very important character development, and 2 are a gorgeous sea battle.
Volume 34: No episodes featuring Guts.
Volume 35: 8 episodes with Guts. 3 for the sea battle against the Ghost Ship, 5 on land (exploring the Solitary Island, character development, etc.).
Volume 36: 9 episodes on land (character development, introduction of new elements, fight against the Sea God).
Volume 37: 7 episodes with Guts. 3 on land (end of the Sea God battle), 3 showing a super cool flashback about Guts, 1 at sea acting as epilogue for the Solitary Island's events and a recap of sorts.
Volume 38: None so far. The last one might go back to Guts, and when it does, it'll end the sea voyage.

So in total, the entire sea trip takes up 30 episodes, which is roughly 3 volumes if you put them back to back. However, if you only count the time they're actually "on the boat" (not counting the island or the flashback), there it's just one single volume. And it'd still be selling Berserk extremely short to pretend amazing things don't take place in every single one of those episodes. They're densely packed with cool stuff to take full advantage of the setting, with the bulk of the actual journey happening off-page. And honestly, it would have been a monumental waste to not feature the sea journey at all (and people would have complained). It also wouldn't have appropriately conveyed its actual length and the distance traveled. Plus the story would have not featured Guts for several volumes. So basically it doesn't hold water.

This...is awesome. I've always wondered just how many episodes were "on the boat". Aaz, thanks for doing the leg work. Maybe people will stop conflating release schedule with actual time on the boat now that this is laid out on the table and easily digestible. I never even considered the boat shenanigans were so sort, which just shows how caught up I even was.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
ShiffuFirestorm said:
That's true. I meant to say I just enjoyed that part the most. I didn't mean to suggest it was less qualitative, the whole part with Ganishka's massive army was insane!

Ah, I see. Well personally I just can't choose! That whole arc was just too damn cool from beginning to end! :guts:

Delta Phi said:
This...is awesome. I've always wondered just how many episodes were "on the boat". Aaz, thanks for doing the leg work. Maybe people will stop conflating release schedule with actual time on the boat now that this is laid out on the table and easily digestible. I never even considered the boat shenanigans were so sort, which just shows how caught up I even was.

Thanks! Yeah I figured it'd help people relativize a bit. That being said, those complaints are irrational and will never stop. The older ones among us will remember that before Guts and friends got on the ship, we heard for years complaints about "when will they get on the boat?!?!" For years. And I made fun of these people at the time, telling them they'd also complain once the characters would be on it. And of course I was right. So, can you guess what will happen while they are in Elfhelm? That's right, some people will say "when will they get off the damn island?!"
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
That's right, some people will say "when will they get off the damn island?!"

Then it'll be :" When is Guts gonna kill femto?" And at some point it'll be :" When will the series end?" to get to the ultimate one :"Why is the story not longer than that?"
 
Aazealh said:
Like jackson_hurley said, it could theoretically end upon them reaching the island and something big happening (e.g. Casca being cured). As a reminder, the Falconia chapter ended right after Falconia's appearance (which makes sense if you think about it the right way). But like I mentioned earlier, I actually expect the chapter to last a few volumes more.
In that case, it had more sense, since the Falconia chapter was in the end about the creation of Falconia itself. This is a little different. I see the Elf Island chapter covering at least the arrival and the first view of Elfhelm. But yeah, it won't take so much to finish. Anyway, besides that, I'm really curious to see what Miura has on the table for the next chapter.

And ShiffuFirestorm, when will you begin to read the Fantasia arc? When will you join us, eh? EH!? :griffnotevil:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Tripas said:
In that case, it had more sense, since the Falconia chapter was in the end about the creation of Falconia itself.

Yes, that is what I meant.

Tripas said:
This is a little different. I see the Elf Island chapter covering at least the arrival and the first view of Elfhelm. But yeah, it won't take so much to finish.

Well if it just covers the first view of Elfhelm before ending then it's actually no different at all from Falconia. :???: I thought you expected it to not be finished soon? I know I do!
 
Aazealh said:
Well if it just covers the first view of Elfhelm before ending then it's actually no different at all from Falconia.
With first view I wasn't referring to a "panoramic" view like the first time we saw Falconia, but an introduction like we had, for example, with Flora's house or more recently with
Falconia
.

Aazealh said:
:???: I thought you expected it to not be finished soon? I know I do!
Indeed. I don't expect the chapter to finish in a few episodes, but to take, at least, one or two volumes more. Neither too soon nor too long. :carcus:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Tripas said:
With first view I wasn't referring to a "panoramic" view like the first time we saw Falconia, but an introduction like we had, for example, with Flora's house or more recently with
Falconia
.

Not sure I follow you on this one. So it won't be like Episode 307's first shot of
Falconia
, but more like the tour we were given of it from 333-current? That seems a strange distinction to make. Speaking more plainly, do you mean that you expect a proper introduction of Elfhelm, not just a tease, before the chapter ends?

Indeed. I don't expect the chapter to finish in a few episodes, but to take, at least, one or two volumes more. Neither too soon nor too long. :carcus:

I don't think that's farfetched, and I mean, we're talking about a difference of between 5-10 episodes, basically. Negligible in terms of arguments on future events.
 
Walter said:
Not sure I follow you on this one. So it won't be like Episode 307's first shot of
Falconia
, but more like the tour we were given of it from 333-current? That seems a strange distinction to make. Speaking more plainly, do you mean that you expect a proper introduction of Elfhelm, not just a tease, before the chapter ends?
Exactly. But who knows?

Walter said:
I don't think that's farfetched, and I mean, we're talking about a difference of between 5-10 episodes, basically. Negligible in terms of arguments on future events.
Well, I think the chapter will conclude around volume 40 or so. With that in mind, I don't think that's negligible in terms of story at all.
 
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