Episode 310

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
JezzaX said:
I would have thought the breaks he has, consisted of vacational time? I could be wrong.
Yes, you're wrong. :schierke: This misinformation has been corrected dozens of times. Here's a highlight reel.

Aazealh said:
And you seem to be mistaken like many people are about Miura's breaks. He doesn't take vacations, he just concentrates on the plot and the development of the story for a while, thus taking a break from the regular production of episodes. He may also use that time to paint covers or color illustrations, create new character designs, or work on various other stuff (games, etc).
Walter said:
But, we already know that while on these breaks, Miura is working on the plot and story sequences.
Aazealh said:
You should know that the breaks in the prepublication used to be principally to plan the plot development (and it might still be the case for all we know).
Aazealh said:
His breaks are usually to work on the plot, but this time it's different.
Aazealh said:
He plans them all in advance (plot, progression of the story, dialogue, new characters, etc.) during his usual breaks, and works on drawing episodes individually on a two weeks basis (6 days a week). Nothing really unusual, but it takes a lot of work to make a series as refined and polished as Berserk. Miura doesn't draw 10 episodes in a month to then spend 5 months in boobieland paradise.
 
Ok, so I dont read every post, Sorry. I didn't expect it to be correct, you would just assume that a guy working as hard as Miura would try to have a little 'me' time.
 

Aazealh

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Staff member
Deci said:
I'm pretty sure somewhat recently Miura commented on, and I'm paraphrasing, how painstaking the latest events in Berserk were for him. And assuming now that we're past that, he can rest a little more (hopefully). I'd assume that means he's going to naturally pick up the pace a bit, but don't quote me on that.

Aazealh said:
Miura says that the chapter that he was the busiest with and that progressed the slowest is finally finished! (He means the Chapter of Falconia, for those who still have trouble making the episode/chapter difference.) If we're lucky, that'll mean less extended breaks.

Now, whether or not we'll progressively get less breaks is just a guess at this point. Elfhelm being such an important part of the story, he might also have to progress slowly in order to be sure it meets his expectations in terms of high quality.

Deci said:
I for one hope Miura takes a vacation soon if he hasn't already. I know he loves his life, but he's overworked.

Well, that's just how he does things. He's supposed to only work 6 days a week, but it's hardly respected. For example, in YA n°23 of 2004 he said he'd only taken one half-day off in the past 2 months, and hadn't taken 2 consecutive days off in 4 years. Not surprisingly he had to take a forced rest for medical reasons at the time. But that's nothing new, in YA n°12 of 1993 he was down with a high fever (40°C) and commented that he'd only taken 2 days off that year so far. He had reported losing 5 kg a month later. And by the end of the year, in YA n°23, he stated he'd slept an average of 4 hours a day for the past 2 months.

As you can imagine the list goes on, though he's never been one to complain about it. You should also keep in mind the profession of mangaka requires a lot of work in general. Miura's case might be extreme but it's in line with the norm. And more generally, Japanese society is well-known for the amount of dedication people have for their jobs (think of the stereotypical salaryman). That being said, Miura himself is clearly a perfectionist and a workaholic. But you know, as long as he's happy, it's not our place to pretend we know what's best for him.

JezzaX said:
I know the fans speak about the pace of which he puts out each episode and volume as if it should be done almost overnight and not many of them appreciate the amount of painstaking work he puts in (which I highly appreciate).

I don't call these people "fans", personally.

JezzaX said:
I do fear that sometimes that Miura finds himself in such an uneven balance of pace and can push himself a little too hard. 16 hours a day is a little unnatural if you ask me, but I guess that once he's got his head down then it's hard to give up and move it over to the next day incase it leads to sacrificing quality. But if he were to make it 8 hours a day with fewer breaks I can't help but think it might hold a different more consistent pace and that he might find it easier to cope.

Hahaha, that paragraph is cute because he works 16 hours a day during the breaks, too. Makes you wonder, eh?
 
Aazealh said:
Hahaha, that paragraph is cute because he works 16 hours a day during the breaks, too. Makes you wonder, eh?

Even during the breaks? :isidro: Did Miura base Guts' determination and stamina on himself?

EDIT: Oh and as for the "Fans" comment, I guess "observers" would be more appropriate?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
JezzaX said:
Even during the breaks? :isidro:

Of course. That's why we call them "breaks in the prepublication" and not "vacations". A "break" simply means that the release of episodes in Young Animal is halted. That's usually because Miura is working on something other than the very next episode, like for example on later events (planning the story in advance). For all we know during this break he could have been working on Casca's awakening. Think about that.

JezzaX said:
Did Miura base Guts' determination and stamina on himself?

Well, one could argue an author always reveals something about himself in his work. :slan:
 
Aazealh said:
For all we know during this break he could have been working on Casca's awakening. Think about that.

Yeah, it kind of blows your mind a little thinking how he could be planning so far ahead. It's one thing to be an author, but to see it through as a fantastic artist aswell really speaks volumes about the ingenuity of Miura.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
JezzaX said:
Yeah, it kind of blows your mind a little thinking how he could be planning so far ahead. It's one thing to be an author, but to see it through as a fantastic artist aswell really speaks volumes about the ingenuity of Miura.

Here's a little game: let's try to list some of the things Miura might have to think of or create for Elfhelm.

- One or more exotic environments and everything associated (flora, fauna, even architecture if there's a kind of city)
- At least one new type of elves (different from piskies like Puck)
- Individual elves that stand out from the mass (King of the Flower Storm among others)
- The elfin society, how it's organized, how they all live together
- A lot more details about elves than we've had so far, including their culture, history and attitude toward humans, as well as their opinion on what is happening to the world
- More details on the Berserk world, similar to what we got in volume 24
- More details on the history of the Berserk world
- Peculiar humans characters living among elves

And then there's the more character-oriented side of things.

- The end of the journey for the group and what that represents
- Puck's return home, he and Ivalera's interactions with other elves
- Casca's illness and its possible cure: explanations on how it works, what is required to end it, possible dilemmas on various levels
- After an issue is reached for Casca: in-depth reaction of every character to it
- Self-interrogations for everyone, doubts, change in relationships, decisions as to what each character will do next

Of course that's ignoring the rest of the world and what will be happening to it.
 
Aazealh said:
- More details on the history of the Berserk world

This makes me consider how much thought must go into continuity alone. Miura has to consider every little last thing Puck may have said about Elfhelm at the very least to make sure it all matches up when it comes around.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Aazealh said:
Here's a little game: let's try to list some of the things Miura might have to think of or create for Elfhelm.

Of course that's ignoring the rest of the world and what will be happening to it.

Yea, in that light it really puts things into perspective about how much careful planning is needed so that the story works.

Some other developmeants include the group learning what has been happening in the world while they have been out at sea. They don't yet know what happened to Ganishka or the fact that Falconia has now appeared. And how will the news be brought to them if it is, will Skully meet them in Elfhelm? I would be interested in getting more info on the berserker armour too. Also, will Guts open up to the rest of the group about his past? That's one of the biggest developments I'm looking forward too, and I have a feeling it will be happening soon.
 

Aazealh

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Staff member
Oburi said:
Also, will Guts open up to the rest of the group about his past? That's one of the biggest developments I'm looking forward too, and I have a feeling it will be happening soon.

Yeah, in Elfhelm it will eventually become inevitable.
 
I think that has to be one of the next big things i'm seriously looking forward to, other than Casca's 'Awakening' as i'm just curious to see how everyone will react. The question is, will he share it before or after Casca goes through the healing process?
 
JezzaX said:
I think that has to be one of the next big things i'm seriously looking forward to, other than Casca's 'Awakening' as i'm just curious to see how everyone will react. The question is, will he share it before or after Casca goes through the healing process?

A thought that just occurred to me, is how in fact will she be "awakened"? I'm sure it's been discussed before, but I'm curious to see if it will be something instantaneous, similar to when the layers merged, or if it will be something gradual, to sort of "ease her" into the present since the eclipse.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
My guess is that it will be something initiated by the Elf King that she'll have to resolve internally, much like when Lady Jessica ingests the poisonous water in Dune. It'll be up to Casca herself to awaken and accept the painful memories buried in her mind.
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
Rhombaad said:
My guess is that it will be something initiated by the Elf King that she'll have to resolve internally, much like when Lady Jessica ingests the poisonous water in Dune. It'll be up to Casca herself to awaken and accept the painful memories buried in her mind.

I've considered the same. In my head I picture something similar to when Schierke journeys inside Guts and obtains an understanding of his inner struggle. Whether it's like that or not, I very much doubt her awakening will be instantaneous or externally visible only.
 
Chaos said:
A thought that just occurred to me, is how in fact will she be "awakened"? I'm sure it's been discussed before, but I'm curious to see if it will be something instantaneous, similar to when the layers merged, or if it will be something gradual, to sort of "ease her" into the present since the eclipse.

There is also the chance that the Elf King may refuse to help her.
 
Saephon said:
I've considered the same. In my head I picture something similar to when Schierke journeys inside Guts and obtains an understanding of his inner struggle. Whether it's like that or not, I very much doubt her awakening will be instantaneous or externally visible only.

Speaking of which, I had never considered the possibility of Schierke trying this with Casca herself. I'm sure anyone could argue that Casca's madness is different than the madness which guts experiences when Shierke has pulled him back. However, if you recall a scene from volume 23, when casca is being assaulted bt the 3 men, all she begins to see are monsters, similar how guts views his surrounded. She then went on to kill the interpretations of monsters, as guts often does.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Jaze1618 said:
Speaking of which, I had never considered the possibility of Schierke trying this with Casca herself. I'm sure anyone could argue that Casca's madness is different than the madness which guts experiences when Schierke has pulled him back. However, if you recall a scene from volume 23, when casca is being assaulted bt the 3 men, all she begins to see are monsters, similar how guts views his surrounded. She then went on to kill the interpretations of monsters, as guts often does.

Casca had such visions before volume 23 (check episode 140), and they're more indicative of her traumatic memories being triggered than anything else. She has a psychological trauma, while in Guts' case his perception is obscured or distorted by the armor. Completely different causes, regardless of how each phenomenon is illustrated.

What Schierke does when Guts is under the armor's influence is to try to counter said influence (by clearing his vision from inside the armor in volume 31) or to shake him from it (talking to his inner self that was protected from destruction by Flora's seal in volume 27). And each time was a close call and depended on luck and exterior factors, so blindly attempting to mess with Casca's mind would be utterly irresponsible and very dangerous for all parties involved.
 
I've always felt sceptical about the whole Elf King helping Guts business.. I mean.. do they even want branded ones in their realm? Why would he want to help them?

Of course, a revelation mentioning Guts as a kind of savior would be alright imo ;)

I'm beginning to think that Casca will loose all memorys in the eventual awakening..
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Highborne said:
I've always felt sceptical about the whole Elf King helping Guts business.. I mean.. do they even want branded ones in their realm? Why would he want to help them?

Why wouldn't he want to?
 
Aazealh said:
Here's a little game: let's try to list some of the things Miura might have to think of or create for Elfhelm.

- One or more exotic environments and everything associated (flora, fauna, even architecture if there's a kind of city)
- At least one new type of elves (different from piskies like Puck)
- Individual elves that stand out from the mass (King of the Flower Storm among others)
- The elfin society, how it's organized, how they all live together
- A lot more details about elves than we've had so far, including their culture, history and attitude toward humans, as well as their opinion on what is happening to the world
- More details on the Berserk world, similar to what we got in volume 24
- More details on the history of the Berserk world
- Peculiar humans characters living among elves

And then there's the more character-oriented side of things.

- The end of the journey for the group and what that represents
- Puck's return home, he and Ivalera's interactions with other elves
- Casca's illness and its possible cure: explanations on how it works, what is required to end it, possible dilemmas on various levels
- After an issue is reached for Casca: in-depth reaction of every character to it
- Self-interrogations for everyone, doubts, change in relationships, decisions as to what each character will do next

Of course that's ignoring the rest of the world and what will be happening to it.

I think Schierke and maybe even Farnese will learn a new ability to help, in particular, Guts and Caska.
 
Aazealh said:
Why wouldn't he want to?

It might be a little clichéd.. but well.. Isent it natural to feel threatened by these visitors? Havent they be hiding their island for not getting unwanted attention. And 2 branded persons do attract a lot of attention.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Hojo said:
I think Schierke and maybe even Farnese will learn a new ability to help, in particular, Guts and Casca.

I think all characters are likely to improve or develop new skills during their stay.

Highborne said:
Isent it natural to feel threatened by these visitors?

Not necessarily. Elves can read people's minds, so they'll know their visitors' intentions. And the group is accompanied by 2 elves in the first place. Besides, we know from what Puck said that humans live or have lived there. If there's any apprehension at first it shouldn't last very long.

Highborne said:
Havent they be hiding their island for not getting unwanted attention.

That's not how it's put in the story. Normal people can't (couldn't?) reach it because it's in the Interstice.

Highborne said:
And 2 branded persons do attract a lot of attention.

Attention from whom? It's not like Griffith has been very proactive in coming after Guts and Casca so far. Besides, don't forget it was Puck who suggested they head there so that Casca would be sheltered (that's right, don't forget the reason they journeyed to Elfhelm was to be safe from "unwanted attention" in the first place). He wouldn't have proposed it if he knew they wouldn't be welcome there. Lastly, it's the Skull Knight who told Guts the King of the Flower Storm might be able to cure Casca. I doubt he'd have said that if it had just been a remote possibility. Elves tend to be good natured, remember.
 
Aazealh said:
That's not how it's put in the story. Normal people can't (couldn't?) reach it because it's in the Interstice.

Well its kinda hidden then;)

Aazealh said:
Attention from whom? It's not like Griffith has been very proactive in coming after Guts and Casca so far.

So far indeed.
And well.. Hasent Puck been away from the old lands a long, long time.. Things might have changed. I for one do not think that they will arrive in a candyland of happiness and joy.

(hope I don't screw up with the quoting :p)
 
Highborne said:
It might be a little clichéd.. but well.. Isent it natural to feel threatened by these visitors? Havent they be hiding their island for not getting unwanted attention. And 2 branded persons do attract a lot of attention.

Elfhelm could already be under siege, so maybe there won't be time to dilly dally with one-another.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Highborne said:
Well its kinda hidden then;)

But not because they are hiding from something branded people would attract, which is what you were saying.

Highborne said:
So far indeed.

And? Do you think this supports your point that the King of the Flower Storm will somehow refuse to help with Casca's condition?

Highborne said:
And well.. Hasent Puck been away from the old lands a long, long time..

We don't know how long he's been away from Elfhelm.

Highborne said:
Things might have changed.

Nothing hints at it in the story.

Highborne said:
I for one do not think that they will arrive in a candyland of happiness and joy.

We'll see.



On another topic, following discussions I had with Walter: what do you guys and girls think of the possibility of a new character joining the group in Elfhelm? And beyond that, what kind of character do you think would be interesting? A magic user whose style would differ from Schierke's? A new type of elf? An astral creature the group would keep as a pet?
 
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