Episode 319

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Really? Ganishka, Femto vs SK, Fantasia, Falconia, nothing?

Already taken for granted. :azan:

Aazealh said:
What's he going to do then, send his entire army there? How would they arrive before Guts et al.?

He could send the flyers, and any number of other Apostles with them in human form. They might be faster than Roderick's ship anyway, let alone the fact that Guts and company have stopped to fight the Sea God. Like I said, I don't actually think that's happening, but not for logistical reasons.

Aazealh said:
Yeah, that's a more interesting question. How they were (un)affected (after all, they were already in the astral world themselves, so the problem might rather come from humans), how they will be affected, and what they think of it.

Yeah, just the fact that they now appear on the map, so to speak, could be problematic. Returning to the previous point for a moment, I recall a debate over whether or not Griffith could bypass their defenses before, though I can't think of why that should be different now, them both being of the astral realm already. Though, it's still interesting to consider it that way, for example how the rest of the God Hand may now be on the same plane; or, to use a chess analogy, they may now have five queens on the board. Perhaps the idea of Elfhelm being attacked by Apostles, or even a force led by Griffith, is small-time for a different reason...

Aazealh said:
This is commented upon in the episode, since the pirates are somewhat affiliated with the animal (sailing on the "Captain Shark Rider", not to mention the boss' speeches).

If the rest of the Sea God turns out to be a giant bearded shark, I'll evacuate my body in ecstasy. :slan:

Aazealh said:
Not exactly a precise indicator though.

I've got that covered, just stick one of these on the back of Guts' neck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhuNCHoF_X8

Rus said:
I was just thinking that i'd rather read 20 pages of Berserk than 20 volumes of any other manga/comic. :schnoz:

Well, I can think of at least one where that's almost a fair trade.
ganishka.gif
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
He could send the flyers, and any number of other Apostles with them in human form. They might be faster than Roderick's ship anyway, let alone the fact that Guts and company have stopped to fight the Sea God. Like I said, I don't actually think that's happening, but not for logistical reasons.

There's quite a few reasons it's an unlikely scenario, including logistics. It's not like the trip to Elfhelm is a short one (we're probably talking months in total here), even by flight (plus those flying apostles aren't exactly jet planes), and they wouldn't be able to eat or rest during the whole trip. Then it's assuming that those flying apostles who Ganishka wiped the floor with in Vritannis would be enough to annihilate Elfhelm (not counting those who died in the final battle), when the postulate for justifying their intervention is that the place would be a serious threat to Femto (something Flora was not because of her health). Besides, they'd have to locate it, which isn't a sure bet at this point from what we've been told. I mean sure, everything's possible in theory, but considering the situation in Midland I just really don't find it plausible.

Griffith said:
Returning to the previous point for a moment, I recall a debate over whether or not Griffith could bypass their defenses before, though I can't think of why that should be different now, them both being of the astral realm already. Though, it's still interesting to consider it that way, for example how the rest of the God Hand may now be on the same plane; or, to use a chess analogy, they may now have five queens on the board. Perhaps the idea of Elfhelm being attacked by Apostles, or even a force led by Griffith, is small-time for a different reason...

Well if you recall Flora's speech just before the attack, she was mortified that her power had lessened so much that the apostles could breach her barrier without any trouble. So again, basing ourselves on the postulate that Elfhelm is full of powerful magic users and a place generally favorable to "good", their "defenses" would work against evil beings like apostles or members of the God Hand. Now I wouldn't bet Void or Femto couldn't get through, but it would likely pose a problem to simple apostles. Where the merging of the worlds could be a bother is that before the island was apparently hidden to humans and that it might not be so anymore, but even then there are other factors to consider.

Anyway, I don't think Griffith would actually lead an attack on a faraway land himself so shortly after the establishment of Falconia. As for the four other members of the God Hand though... Who knows what they can do/are doing/will do.

Griffith said:
Well, I can think of at least one where that's almost a fair trade.
ganishka.gif

NEVER! :miura:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Next episode will be in YA #9, released on April 22.

Looks like the effect in the Sea God's mouth just represents its breath?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
It's pushing Guts with its breath!
:isidro:

That last image of the Boss. :ganishka:



Old business...

Aazealh said:
There's quite a few reasons it's an unlikely scenario, including logistics...

It depends on how one looks at it, you've made a good case for unlikely, here's my case for why it's still plausible: We don't really know what far is to an Apostle, let alone the the capabilities of the flying Apostles (Rosine didn't look like a jet either but she could move like one, not that they'd have to); whether they'd really need to stop and eat/rest, and even if they did, there's no reason why they couldn't on an island(s) just like Guts has. That goes double for Elfhelm, it's location, capabilities, and what Griffith and Apostles know of those things. Flora wasn't what she used to be, perhaps the same could be said of Elfhelm, and Griffith attacked the former anyway. We're just extrapolating here, and there's plenty of room, and even a little precedent/foreshadowing, for the plausibility of Apostles striking there, even first, if Miura so chose. It's not like we're given detailed explanations of Apostle timing and movements anyway, such as when they showed up at Flora's out of the blue, in the middle of a war with Ganishka, and started laying waste to the place despite Skull Knight's protection (if Elfhelm has an army of Skull Knights and witches in their prime, they need not worry). I'm just pointing out there are scenarios where it could happen well within the story's reason and not raise an eyebrow, so I think it's fair game to prudently discuss, as we are, but not to dismiss.

Aazealh said:
As for the four other members of the God Hand though... Who knows what they can do/are doing/will do.

SOMEWHERE OVER SKELLIG ISLAND...

elfhelmgh.jpg


Aazealh said:

Only one way to find out, unless you're scared of the answer!
guts.gif
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Rough summary:

Guts says the cave's like the Qliphoth, it gives off some kind of "bad feeling". Schierke says that if it's like the Qliphoth, they can use the power of the spirit who resides there. But in this territory, the Sea God's too powerful, so none of the spirits will help them. Guts says it's true, it really feels like an extension/part of hell. Then they come into the stone statue. They remark that it was previously sealed (like I thought, the statue itself was the seal, it basically closed the cave off from the outside world, effectively imprisoning the monster inside). She guesses it's from an ancient civilization.

The boss says that Guts' skill is beyond a human's, but that he'll be eaten, etc. Since he dared to cut his beard, the Sea God is enraged. Also says that it seems like they should run away again. Schierke says that there's too many of them, that Guts can't handle them all like that. So she proposes him to go to a narrow part of the cave so he can fight them one by one (or just a few at a time), but Guts refuses. Thinks it's not doable (because if it's narrow, he also can't use his sword) and doesn't want to waste his strength (plus there's just too many of them anyway). "Our target's only that one, let's dash into this big mouth!"
 
Thanks again Aaz!
That must be a strong case of bad breath the sea god has. :iva: I love how Guts uses the boss's face for an extra boost, leaving a massive foot print. :serpico: The statue that was sealing this place looks a bit like Poseidon IMO.
And here I thought this would be awaiting Guts arrival in the sea god's mouth http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/6230/berserk306014015clr2.jpg. :troll:
 

Grail

Feel the funk blast
Oh man... this episode's got some great spreads. The way Miura illustrates the Sea God crammed in this (relatively) small space gives off this overwhelming claustrophobic feeling. I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat spaghetti for a while after this... :magni:
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Grail said:
I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat spaghetti for a while after this... :magni:
LOL, I was eating spaghetti while going through it :ganishka:
(It was delicious btw.)


so the sea gods appearance was exactly like the statues. I'm guessing the villagers have actually seen the Sea God themselves in its lair, I doubt they would have made such an accurate statue of it by a mere guess.

also, I love how guts looks excited to just kill the thing and then go about his day. :guts:
 
Oh, great Sea God, what big teeth you have!

Seriously, I'm reminded of Monstro from Pinocchio. Who knows what they'll encounter inside that mouth.
 
Great episode!

Imagining the Sea God in its entirety with that menacing mouth and awful tentacle/claw beard, it truly is an evil looking beast.

Guts looks so powerful pointing his sword with one arm! Especially in the panel with Schrieke, such a great panel!

Very curious to see the inside of the creature. Wonder what will go on inside there, most likely an encounter with a god hand/ evil infection? The beard nows makes me think creature might once have been majestic and good but now been corrupt.

Glad to see the captain get his butt kicked again haha
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
I am loving this Sea God fella. Just a big silent (yet not so silent with the pirates as its spokesmen) crazy monster.

It seems to me like the merrows are a'comin. Makes me think that while Guts is going to be facing some insanity inside, perhaps the merrows will be waging war from the outside. I can't wait for the next episode! AAGH!

The art is great as usual. I am a huge fan of the Schierke and Beast Guts team. I just love the way he looks.

The color page is amazing and would make a great poster! I wish we could get a textless version of it at some point.

Thanks for the summary, Aaz.
 
Thanks for the summary, awesome episode. Like Gobolatula, I'd love to see that color page with no text. :isidro:

PS: Laughing hard at "get in mah belly". Whoever read the disgusting scanlations of the last decade will never forget.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Eluvei said:
PS: Laughing hard at "get in mah belly". Whoever read the disgusting scanlations of the last decade will never forget.
That particular line was from me :schnoz:

BTW, special preview of next episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6bQPCwS6U
 
Aazealh said:
the amount of bleeding from the Brand isn't much of an indicator for anything other than to say it's a big threat.

But isn't true that how much the brand itself reacts to the evil presence with the aching or bleeding will depend on the power of the non-human opponent that Guts faces? The weaker the enemy = less pain/blood, and stronger the enemy = more pain and bleeding. Both Femto (in vol 3) and Skull Knight (in vol 14) have stated so themselves.

Aazealh said:
he's looking at a monstrous creature so big a whole city could fit in its mouth? A creature worthy of being called a god? A creature whose beard is composed of huge monsters whose own mouths are composed of yet other monsters who have individually been portrayed as serious foes for our hero without losing himself to the armor?

Who knows, there may be some hope. Guts and/or Schierke might come across something handy left behind by the mermaids that can give them some edge against Sea God. You know, maybe a special merrow-forged sword that is capable of inflicting pain on Sea God, an astral shield which can withstand his attacks or some sort of magic chain that can force Sea God's mouth shut. After all, wasn't it the merrows who'd bound and imprisoned him? :schierke: And it was that magical repellent seal made by Isma's mermaid mother that has been keeping Sea God and his pawns away from her. Therefore, some sort of object or weapon made by the merrows can be expected to be of great help to Guts in his fight against the Sea God, that is if he gets his hands on one, of course :guts:

Aazealh said:
And on a side note, those entrails Slan possessed don't really qualify as being "her physical form".

Isn't it how she manifested herself in the physical world, using the troll intestines? Just like Conrad did with the plague infested rats to appear in the middle of a city. Those things did act as a vessel which they used to appear within the living realm.

Aazealh said:
"Hanafubuku" isn't a name. 花吹雪く王 ("Hanabufuku Oh") is a phrase in Japanese that means "King of the Flower Storm". That's the king's title. Call him either that or the Elf King, but please don't use this half-assed non-translation. And I know it's how Dark Horse put it, but that's not an excuse! :miura:

Yes, I know that it's not really his name, but merely an epithet. But as a non-Japanese speaker, I have to rely on the Dark Horse translation, which obviously isn't perfect. And you know, a lot of monarchs are better remembered and known by their epithets than by their birth names. Nobody ever calls Chinggis Khan, which is actually a title that literally means "ruler of the seas" in old Turkic and Mongolian languages, by his personal name "Temujin", for example. Elf King's real name has yet to be revealed, and for all we know it may never be. If that's the case, we might have to make do with "King Hanafubuku". Besides, it's been 16 years, and Miura has yet to conclusively reveal (or at least confirm) SkullKnight's own real name :badbone:

Aazealh said:
Don't tell me you're seriously trying to brag about this. Almost makes me want to pull an old "Captain Obvious" image macro. And you didn't even call it perfectly, you missed the (1)!

Oh come on, lighten up, Aaz. There was a multitude of possible titles that Miura could've used for episode 319. Something like "Inside the Sea God's Cave", "The Beard of Sea God", "Sea God's Maw", "Sea God's Jaws" or the "Sea God's Teeth". We may never know. So me feeling good about guessing the name of this episode right, what is anything wrong with that? I'm not out to disrespect or belittle anyone, or anything man. I'm not trying to brag about this. I'm just having myself a little chuckle for guessing that just one single Berserk episode's name correctly, jeez.


Aazealh said:
Really? Ganishka, Femto vs SK, Fantasia, Falconia, nothing?

Those were awe inspiring and stunning scenes indeed yes, but I think there might've been a little misunderstanding. I was talking about the fear factor there. What I meant to say was, this was the first time in several years of reading Berserk that I've been scared just by the mere sight of a monster's appearance alone. No flesh being ripping apart, no rivers of gore pouring in all directions, or several thousand humans being swallowed up at once by Sea God or anything else. Just him sitting (or laying) there, with his gigantic mouth and endless row of teeth and all, that is what I found to be actually scary :magni:
teeth2.gif
 

Aphasia

ALL MYSTERIES MUST BE SOLVED
BayJumper said:
Miura has yet to conclusively reveal (or at least confirm) SkullKnight's own real name :badbone:

You mean King Gaiseric? :troll:

Just an amazing episode. Love how excited Guts looks to take down this monstrosity. Also, that last panel with the pirate boss had me in stitches.

Walter said:
BTW, special preview of next episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6bQPCwS6U

BEARS BEARS BEARS BEARS
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Walter said:
BTW, special preview of next episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6bQPCwS6U
just imagining Guts going into the Sea God and start partying has got me chuckling :ganishka:

BayJumper said:
I'm just having myself a little chuckle for guessing that just one single Berserk episode's name correctly, jeez.
dont you forget this is a no-fun zone :femto:
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
Walter said:
BTW, special preview of next episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6bQPCwS6U
Inside the belly, Party Pat is Conrad and the bears are his rats. Finn and Jake (Guts & Schierke) are going in to end their party.

You know, the pirate captain's 2 crew mates REALLY creep me out when they're just kinda waving around as tentacles. I love it.

Also, I REALLY hope the Sea God doesn't blow Guts away before he reaches the mouth.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Draculoid said:
Very curious to see the inside of the creature. Wonder what will go on inside there, most likely an encounter with a god hand/ evil infection?

Encountering a member of the God Hand inside the Sea God? That would be somewhat unexpected. That being said, I do expect to see some very interesting things inside that monster.

Walter said:
BTW, special preview of next episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6bQPCwS6U

Whoa, awesome I hadn't seen that one yet!

BayJumper said:
But isn't true that how much the brand itself reacts to the evil presence with the aching or bleeding will depend on the power of the non-human opponent that Guts faces? The weaker the enemy = less pain/blood, and stronger the enemy = more pain and bleeding. Both Femto (in vol 3) and Skull Knight (in vol 14) have stated so themselves.

It's true and it's what I just said. It's not much of an indicator for anything other than to say it's a big threat. It's preposterous to attempt to use it to precisely compare the "power" of various enemies, especially since other factors like proximity play a role as well, and that the bleeding itself isn't easy to quantify beyond "that's a lot of blood". The pain could be a better indicator (see for example how Guts is incapacitated when he's near a member of the God Hand), but the Berserk's armor and the merging of the worlds make that unreliable as well. So yeah, again, that's not what you should focus on here when we can see by ourselves how awesome and frightening the Sea God actually is.

BayJumper said:
Guts and/or Schierke might come across something handy left behind by the mermaids that can give them some edge against Sea God. You know, maybe a special merrow-forged sword that is capable of inflicting pain on Sea God, an astral shield which can withstand his attacks or some sort of magic chain that can force Sea God's mouth shut.

Hahaha yeah right, Guts is going to ditch the Dragon Slayer in favor of a magic merrow sword. Or use a chain to tie the Sea God's mouth. Good one. :ganishka:

BayJumper said:
After all, wasn't it the merrows who'd bound and imprisoned him? :schierke: And it was that magical repellent seal made by Isma's mermaid mother that has been keeping Sea God and his pawns away from her. Therefore, some sort of object or weapon made by the merrows can be expected to be of great help to Guts in his fight against the Sea God, that is if he gets his hands on one, of course

At this point and given the foreshadowing we've been getting (Isma hearing sounds/voices in the sea, the Moonlight Boy looking at something away from the cave, the tale of Isma's mother coming back for her), I expect merrows to actually show up one way or another.

BayJumper said:
Isn't it how she manifested herself in the physical world, using the troll intestines? Just like Conrad did with the plague infested rats to appear in the middle of a city. Those things did act as a vessel which they used to appear within the living realm.

She manifested herself for a short while, yeah, but that's not a "physical form" in the same way that "Griffith" is a physical form for Femto. Just a matter of semantics. She might actually take on a more permanent physical form in the future.

BayJumper said:
Yes, I know that it's not really his name, but merely an epithet. But as a non-Japanese speaker, I have to rely on the Dark Horse translation, which obviously isn't perfect. And you know, a lot of monarchs are better remembered and known by their epithets than by their birth names. Nobody ever calls Chinggis Khan, which is actually a title that literally means "ruler of the seas" in old Turkic and Mongolian languages, by his personal name "Temujin", for example. Elf King's real name has yet to be revealed, and for all we know it may never be. If that's the case, we might have to make do with "King Hanafubuku".

It doesn't matter whether we ever learn the guy's first name or not, we're not going to "have to make do" with a half-translated name because it's incredibly stupid and completely inconsistent with the rest of the names in the series. It's not meant to remain in Japanese like a historical title in a foreign language would, just like we're not calling the Skull Knight the "Knight of Dokuro", Guts the "Black Kenshi" or Femto the "Wings of Yami", and so on for every other line in the manga. It's retarded and baseless, and I'll enforce the proper name the hard way if I have to.

BayJumper said:
I'm just having myself a little chuckle for guessing that just one single Berserk episode's name correctly, jeez.

Sorry BayJumper, your general attitude and posting history on this website has not made me particularly indulgent towards you. No hard feelings.

BayJumper said:
What I meant to say was, this was the first time in several years of reading Berserk that I've been scared just by the mere sight of a monster's appearance alone.

Ah, OK then. Actually he reminds me of the first time we saw a Makara. I was quite impressed by the thing at the time.

Aphasia said:
You mean King Gaiseric? :troll:

Emperor. :SK:
 
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