Episode 315

The ship's figurehead shot on the first page is awesome. Man, there are some stylish Guts shots in this episode! The one he's standing on the figurehead, and the one with the cape over his shoulders after slicing through slimes are fucking sweet.
 
So, dwarfkicker, are you still saying Guts had no good reason to activate the armor? And do you see that the Beast of Darkness is staying chained and in the dark?

Oh no, he definitely needed it. That situation seemed much, much more hopeless than the last time he used it.

I didn't see a date for the next episode. Break time?
 
Aazealh said:
I love the shot of Casca looking up while he glances back at her. Says it all really. Farnese's hand trying to stop him is great as well.

I love that too. It reminds me of episode 278 where Serpico unwittingly reminds Guts of what's truly important in his life. It's those seemingly insignificant moments that hold the most power, as far as the evolution of Guts' character is concerned.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
dwarfkicker said:
Oh no, he definitely needed it. That situation seemed much, much more hopeless than the last time he used it.

He'd have to use the armor even if it was only equally hopeless. :iva:

dwarfkicker said:
I didn't see a date for the next episode. Break time?

Yeah, I announced it a while ago. However, the break shouldn't be too long since volume 35 has been announced for September 29 on YA's website (click to see the page). That means the break shouldn't last more than 3 issues since one episode is missing to complete the volume.

Imperator Perpetuo said:
I love that too. It reminds me of episode 278 where Serpico unwittingly reminds Guts of what's truly important in his life. It's those seemingly insignificant moments that hold the most power, as far as the evolution of Guts' character is concerned.

I would say he did so very wittingly, but yes, those moments are great. That being said, I also love the shots of his muscles under the armor, makes me hear the "Maximum Strength" voice from Crysis in my head. :void:
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
What an episode. Wow. My favorite moment is when Guts looks back at Casca. It sums up everything talked about in this thread so far very nicely. He had absolutely no other choice. That page where they're surrounded by the sea slugs looks overwhelmingly helpless. If he hadn't succumbed to the armor, there's no way they'd have gotten out of there alive. I can't wait for the next episode!

Aazealh said:
However, the break shouldn't be too long since volume 35 has been announced for September 29 on YA's website (click to see the page). That means the break shouldn't last more than 3 issues since one episode is missing to complete the volume.

That's great news! I can't wait to see what Vol. 35's cover will look like. Think it'll involve Guts fighting the tentacles?
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
dwarfkicker said:
I have a strong feeling that Guts, while starting off with a bang here, is gonna be a mangled mess once the battle is over. Poor guy...

I'm wondering if the shots of his muscles won't serve to show the flipside later as he aches all over or something like that. Anyway, I have a strong feeling the next episode will be a turning point for Guts' use of the armor. It's definitely going to show us how his mind/the Beast of Darkness now reacts to it. If he can keep some lucidity, maybe he won't be hurt too badly as he'll care to dodge and parry incoming blows.

On the other hand, he's got at least 10 more slugs to take care of... And then there'll still be the Sea God.

Rhombaad said:
I can't wait to see what Vol. 35's cover will look like. Think it'll involve Guts fighting the tentacles?

Well it's likely to feature Guts. Beyond that... Personally, him fighting the tentacles isn't what I'd prefer. A shot of the chained Beast or of the group sitting in the gloomy inn would be cool. Although the chances of that last one happening are close to zero.
 
On the other hand, he's got at least 10 more slugs to take care of... And then there'll still be the Sea God.

That's what I was gonna say. This is just wave one (or are we counting the little brawl in the bar as one?). As desperate as this situation seems, I'm thinking the Sea God is going to be gigantic, and that much tougher for Guts deal with. This is going to be quite the spectacle.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
If the Sea God is as massive as Isma's story suggests, Guts may not be able to do anything at all to it, even with the Berserk's Armor.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
dwarfkicker said:
As desperate as this situation seems, I'm thinking the Sea God is going to be gigantic, and that much tougher for Guts deal with. This is going to be quite the spectacle.

Will he even be up to the task? I mean even if it's only a tenth of the island's size it'll still be so big he'll have to dig himself a tunnel in its flesh to do any real damage. Of course, since it's somehow imprisoned, they might have an easier time getting rid of it than of its minions, but I have my doubts (since the merrows couldn't kill it in the first place). Not to mention that it may have a degree of control on the water element... For these reasons I think it might fall to Schierke to do something about it. One thing's for sure, if they have to venture down the cave to find it we'll get some of the most atmosphere-laden episodes ever.
 
I'm thinking Gears of War 2 here, like when they went into the Worms body to take out it's hearts, or when they went into the mouth of the fish to cram grenades down it's throat. With Guts as he is at the moment, that isn't something I'd rule out him attempting to do (take it out from the inside).
 
Good lord. The artwork seems like it's been kicked up a notch in this episode. The amount of detail is insane. I'm always amazed. Some badass shots of Guts. Page 15 screams awesome.

The panel of Guts look up at Schierke is a bit ominous. If the Beast (that dark part of Guts' mind) resents any one member of the band more than Casca, it's Schierke. (I mean she keeps thwarting the Beast's attempts to stay at the helm.) Nm. After squinting hard at the screen, he's just looking at the dead Slug.

...I want to color some penises, uh, er, slugs.

Almost forgot, if the Sea God does indeed awaken and it's the size of an island, it might be more than even the :beast: can handle. I'm thinking it'd be a great chance to see Skull Knight.

:badbone: "Ahoy mateys!"

Then see Uncle Skully beat the Beast back into submission. :guts: vs :SK:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
dwarfkicker said:
I'm thinking Gears of War 2 here, like when they went into the Worms body to take out it's hearts, or when they went into the mouth of the fish to cram grenades down it's throat. With Guts as he is at the moment, that isn't something I'd rule out him attempting to do (take it out from the inside).

Yeah, CowTip mentioned that in the episode 313 thread as well. It's a strong possibility, but I'm not completely sure I want that yet (I know it sounds ridiculous because if it happens it's guaranteed to be awesome). Given the scale, they could probably walk into one of its mouths without even noticing it. :rakshas:

Man, there's so many possibilities with the Sea God it makes my head spin. Elfhelm can wait, seriously. :SK:

Proj2501 said:
The panel of Guts look up at Schierke is a bit ominous.

If you mean the last page, it's not looking up at her.

Proj2501 said:
Almost forgot, if the Sea God does indeed awaken and it's the size of an island, it might be more than even the :beast: can handle. I'm thinking it'd be a great chance to see Skull Knight.

Then see Uncle Skully beat the Beast back into submission. :guts: vs :SK:

I'm not sure I understand how that sequence of events is supposed to happen. :ganishka: Guts can't handle the Sea God, so the Skull Knight appears to beat him up? Wouldn't the Sea God have done that in the first place?
 
Aazealh said:
I'm wondering if the shots of his muscles won't serve to show the flipside later as he aches all over or something like that.

I was just glad it didn't show his muscles, tendons, and ligaments getting torn...the way his joints are getting stressed, I wouldn't be surprised at seeing them rupture.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I love how the Pirate Boss' first mate continues to get chewed on, this time by one of the tentacles. Miura's sense of humor is the best. :ganishka:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Mage said:
I was just glad it didn't show his muscles, tendons, and ligaments getting torn...the way his joints are getting stressed, I wouldn't be surprised at seeing them rupture.

Fuck I hope not, he just got better recently... But yeah, it's likely going to come bite him in the ass afterwards, to a degree or another. I'm hoping for lighter damage though, not something incapacitating. :sad:

Rhombaad said:
I love how the Pirate Boss' first mate continues to get chewed on, this time by one of the tentacles. Miura's sense of humor is the best.

Yeah, took me a second to understand what was happening and then I laughed. The boss' expression is particularly hilarious, you can see the malice in his eyes. :void:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
It's nice to finally know what body those tentacles attach to, but I think my favorite detail of this episode is that you can see the slug standing up to fit inside the ship on pages 6 and 7. :ganishka:
 

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
Amazing episode... Man, I love pirate boss. Really looking forward to translations too, he's the kind of guy whose dialog makes you smile. :rakshas:

Am I the only one hearing the Marge Simpson growl of disapproval with Schierke's last panel? :troll:
 
As amusing as the pirate boss is i think this should be the battle where he finally meets his end. You can only escape death so many times ya know.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Rough summary: The boss gives an eloquent speech like the last time. He tells Guts et al. that once a shark has smelled blood, it'll follow its prey to the end of the world (referring to himself of course), calls the transformed villagers his brothers of the sea and keeps the food references flowing. He mentions that the ship is nocturnal and has to go back to its den at dawn (what we saw the last time), but gloats that it'll be different this time, since it's the full moon and the Sea God's ceremony is going to take place. He also says that the sea cucumbers are the arms of the Sea God, which I think is most interesting.

It means that the Sea God itself could be something other than a giant monster if the slugs are physically independent (Isma calls them nudibranchs on the last page, for those who still had a doubt). It could then be many things, even maybe a pure spirit? That would explain how the merrows could seal it, but not destroy it... And it would be a real challenge for Schierke, to fight such a being.

Whatever it is, it's already sure to be absolutely awesome. I'm way too excited about this. :guts:

dwarfkicker said:
As amusing as the pirate boss is i think this should be the battle where he finally meets his end. You can only escape death so many times ya know.

Yeah, I think this will be the end for him and his friends. Although technically, he's already dead. :void:
 
Very good episode. :beast:

There were at a ton of awesome poses, and panels!

Now, are these slugs the quoted "sea god" or are these all these slug only pawns? Because that makes for a potential big daddy for all we know.

EDIT: ^ Aaz made this clear.

But Innsmouth hasn't changed much since my last visit. This is about as good as a welcoming party gets. :p
 
Yeah, I doubt we'll see much more of the Pirate Boss after the next few episodes. It's been fun though. I doubt he and Isidro will get to have another duel. Is anyone on the Sea Horse in earshot of this mayhem? Use za cannons on the slugs! Or on the Sea God. Bad idea actually, they don't need their only mode of transport to Elfhelm to sink. :magni:

Now, if and when the Sea God awakens, is it possible that Schierke may try and communicate with it? (Like the times at Enoch and Vritannis). I wonder if there'd be any point as it's cleary a hostile/malevolent being. I doubt Schierke would be able to 'reason' (I use that word very loosely) with it.

Azan, where are you dammit?!

I hope (as others have commented already) that Guts is able to pull in the reins and regain focus and control. I don't want to see Schierke come to the rescue. As Aaz has said I think we will see some new light shed on Guts and the armor. What would you rather see? Some magical being (Hanafubuku Ou) make it that Guts is able to control the armor and its powers or have Guts reach that same conclusion on his own. I think it would show (not that we really need it) the power of Guts' will. To master the armor. We'll see. I'd like to see post slug massacre and (Sea God?) an internal struggle between Guts' ego and The Beast.

michael_vick_dog.jpg
"Who's a good dog?"
 
Walter pointed this out earlier in the preview, but I love how throughout the episode Magnifico never really changes his look.
:magni: :magni: :magni: :magni: :magni: :magni:

I bet he's not so happy to be on land now. :iva:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Proj2501 said:
Yeah, I doubt we'll see much more of the Pirate Boss after the next few episodes. It's been fun though.

Yeah, he's had a good run. Guts, Serpico and Roderick seemed almost happy to see him this time. :void:

Proj2501 said:
Is anyone on the Sea Horse in earshot of this mayhem? Use za cannons on the slugs! Or on the Sea God. Bad idea actually, they don't need their only mode of transport to Elfhelm to sink. :magni:

Well they couldn't possibly lend support to the group from where they are, and like you said they don't want to attract enemies anyway. If the ship was damaged again they could all be stranded. Still, I wish Azan could see some action too. :judo:

Proj2501 said:
Now, if and when the Sea God awakens, is it possible that Schierke may try and communicate with it? (Like the times at Enoch and Vritannis). I wonder if there'd be any point as it's cleary a hostile/malevolent being. I doubt Schierke would be able to 'reason' (I use that word very loosely) with it.

Yeah, by all accounts it's just plain evil. I see absolutely no possibility for a pacific resolution at this point. And we don't know what the Sea God is yet, so it might be nothing like the spirits Schierke summoned in Enoch, the Qliphoth or Vritannis. That's just an idea I proposed, but it could be something else entirely.

Proj2501 said:
I'd like to see post slug massacre and (Sea God?) an internal struggle between Guts' ego and The Beast.

Hmm, well that was sort of happened in episode 290 already, although it was more of a monologue.

CowTip said:
Walter pointed this out earlier in the preview, but I love how throughout the episode Magnifico never really changes his look.

You guys got to admit, we really nailed him with that emoticon. :guts:
 
Aazealh said:
Is that so? Could you please share your sources on that? Thanks in advance!
Yeah. It was from the german Wikipedia. But it was quoted from a encyclopedia. But next week i will head to a library to get some facts that are even more convincing than the wikipedia entry. i will also look if it's right what was said in the sources! But for now it's the german wikipedia with the sources of Näsström S. 45.
and a iceland etymology book.
Aazealh said:
Yeah but don't you see the flaw in the fact you were searching for negative symbolism associated with dogs in the first place? It's not surprising you found what you were searching for. That's what I was trying to point out. There's no pertinence in a directed search returning generally matching results.
Mhm yeah, somehow you're right. It was a fanboyish happyness and geekdom as i searched for the psychological symbol of the dog.
Aazealh said:
But did he know? She was affiliated with the Skull Knight, a known and acknowledged enemy. She was near and still powerful. He took action. That speaks for itself.
We don't know if he knows, there is given some ample scope! But how should he know that she would be related to the skull knight? Even Zodd seemed to be surprised. But it is out of the question that she was still powerful.
Aazealh said:
Hahaha, are you serious? Griffith dismissed Guts in volume 22 just like he did in volume 3. He's been going out of his way to make Guts feel powerless and insignificant, almost irrationally so. He really hasn't treated Guts like a threat so far (and it might eventually turn out to be his undoing, like I've said many times before).
And the apostles were surprised to see Guts there, even more surprised when he donned the armor (one could argue Zodd was shocked), and explicitly said their mission was to kill Flora. Guts was more of a distraction for Grunbeld than anything.
Yeah that the apostles were surprised, is a fact that is going against my theory. Damn! :D But Griffith is envious of guts. Before the eclipse takes place you could definitely feel that envy. He is totally destroyed. And guts drove him tot that place. Even if femto/griffith is very powerful he is holding that back in his mind. this envy.
I had this feeling that maybe the king of elfheim would bug griffith. don't know why. But it is possible.

and i wanted to say sorry, when my texts seem arrogant or threatening, they are meant nice and just for a positive dialogue. English isn't my mother tongue, so it is very hard to maintain every nuance of my speech etc.
:griffnotevil:
 
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