Episode 323

Aazealh

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Walter said:
But what if she was forced back into her body? The force of the wave impact aboard the Sea Horse could jolt her back, or any number of things.

Then that's not a choice she has to make. :iva:

Walter said:
I don't really think there's any better place for her right now than by Guts' side. Taking out the Sea God's heart should be priority number one. No offense to Schierke, but creating more magical bulwarks against the Sea God isn't likely to have much effect.

Agreed on all counts, and I think she knows it, which is why she won't willingly leave Guts. It's clear she couldn't do anything to help against the Sea God from the outside right now. There's no time, no spirits nearby, and the creature's just too big and mighty anyway. She's remarked on it herself before. And beyond that, like everybody said, without her Guts won't be fighting purposedly anymore, and won't have the presence of mind to escape once the deed is done. She wouldn't leave him alone if only for that reason.

For all the reasons above, Schierke being forced back into her body would actually be a dreadful development. As for the Sea Horse, there is one way it could survive an attack of the Sea God (at least for a little while): to be swallowed whole just like Guts was. Not something for them to look forward to, though.
 

Walter

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Aazealh said:
Then that's not a choice she has to make. :iva:
Yeah, I sort of shifted gears when I realized it would be a pretty stupid choice to make. Her being forced back is still a potentiality though.

For all the reasons above, Schierke being forced back into her body would actually be a dreadful development.
That's precisely why I was considering it :void:

One thing I thought was eerie in this episode in particular was the eyes of the Sea God's heart. They're very human-looking eyes for something so associated with sea life, aren't they? Then again, it's hardly unprecedented for a creature that seems to compose itself from the things it's devoured. But to have human eyes on its most vital organ... Hmmm...
 

Aazealh

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Walter said:
Her being forced back is still a potentiality though.

Certainly, especially given what Ivalera was telling the sailors (to not disturb her).

Walter said:
One thing I thought was eerie in this episode in particular was the eyes of the Sea God's heart. They're very human-looking eyes for something so associated with sea life, aren't they? Then again, it's hardly unprecedented for a creature that seems to compose itself from the things it's devoured. But to have human eyes on its most vital organ... Hmmm...

Hmm, it's an interesting observation, but I'm wondering if they're especially human-looking, or if it's just the horizontal skin folds that make them look so (these could be out of necessity considering the eyes' placement).
 
ixupi said:
I felt like a nerd reading this episode. I found myself drawn to the awesome renditions of real life deep sea creatures. It's funny to see that he practically googled deep sea fish to get some inspiration. Gulper eel, Wolftrap Angler, Goblin Shark and what looks to be a Frilled Gill Shark all pretty realistically translated into huge behemoths. Awesome visuals as always.
Don't forget the vampire squid, 'swimming' through what should be air :schnoz:

I'm interested in whether or not the sea god will eventually communicate with guts/schierke, or if it's too primitive/monstrous. It wouldnt really change what either party is trying to accomplish, though, so I doubt it. I just hate to think of such an ancient, powerful, and likely intelligent entity just perishing without revealing more about itself rather than from a 3rd party :carcus:

Also curious as to whether the voice that spoke to Isma means that the merrows/mellows are heading their way to deal with the sea god once more. If so, maybe they could point guts to the sea gods blow hole once the job is done or something :ganishka:
 

Walter

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Mage said:
Don't forget the vampire squid, 'swimming' through what should be air :schnoz:
But it's not just air. The area they're in now is more dense than that, as Guts said in 322:

Guts: The air is thick and heavy.
Guts: I can't breathe...
Guts: My body feels heavy
Guts: I feel like I'm underwater.

Mage said:
Also curious as to whether the voice that spoke to Isma means that the merrows/mellows are heading their way to deal with the sea god once more. If so, maybe they could point guts to the sea gods blow hole once the job is done or something :ganishka:
They're called merrows, not mellows. Merrows are the Gaelic folklore equivalent of mermaids. Mellows are something that composes the Stay-Puff Marshmellow man.

As for when the merrows will be coming, I think if the Sea God's destruction of the island isn't enough of a beacon, then Isma might become one herself.
 
Walter said:
But it's not just air. The area they're in now is more dense than that, as Guts said in 322:
Yeah, but Guts isn't choking or drowning obviously, so it IS still air and he's not truly underwater. I was only mentioning it more as an observation (as to how clearly supernatural and like the sea the area of the heart is, as Guts said. If being inside a sea god wasn't enough.)
 
Aazealh said:
And they're lucky to be traveling with people who can protect them from all the danger they're encountering! Just try to imagine what normal people must be experiencing all over the world right now (on land as well as on the seas). The Age of Darkness indeed.

Are normal people necessarily helpless though? The merrows were willing to combat and seal away the sea god previously because they felt compassion towards men. And everyone has been predicting the return of the merrows. There's no indication that other massive and evil creatures don't have good spirits opposing their existence.
 

Walter

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Mage said:
Yeah, but Guts isn't choking or drowning obviously, so it IS still air and he's not truly underwater. I was only mentioning it more as an observation (as to how clearly supernatural and like the sea the area of the heart is, as Guts said. If being inside a sea god wasn't enough.)
Well, I didn't find that aspect more supernatural than, say, a heart with eyes on it.

DetriusXii said:
Are normal people necessarily helpless though? The merrows were willing to combat and seal away the sea god previously because they felt compassion towards men.
No, that's a misreading of events. The merrows sealed away the sea god because he was a massive force eating everything in the ocean.

From Puella's translation of Episode 313:

Isma: Once upon a time, there was a horrible Sea God terrorizing all of the sea around here.
Isma: It attacked ships
Isma: Ate humans
Isma: Devoured all the fishes
Isma: Nothing was left alive in the sea and it was actually dying.
Isma: One tribe of merrows couldn't bear it anymore, and so they waged war against the Sea God.
You're conflating all that with the following line:

Schierke: A merrow is a spirit of the sea, right?
Schierke: Besides, I heard they are friendly to humans.
However, these two things aren't necessarily linked in the way that you said. It just means merrows are a force of good.
 

Aazealh

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DetriusXii said:
Are normal people necessarily helpless though? The merrows were willing to combat and seal away the sea god previously

Yes, I think normal people are helpless for the most part. The pirates didn't stand a chance against a single sea cucumber out of a single sea slug from the Sea God's beard. I don't think the average ship, even a military one (or even a whole armada really), could escape from the Sea God, much less harm it.

I imagine that back then the merrows waged a desperate war against it, lost hundreds if not thousands of warriors in the process, and all they could do was to "seal" it. All the while being in their natural element, knowing more about the nature of the Sea God than any human, and having some ways of aiding themselves magically. If we hypothetically pitted the entire Ys fleet against the Sea God the only result I can think of is the Sea God taking a nap after a nice good meal.

Of course, things might not be as bad in the rest of the world, since I imagine not every region is plagued with such a monstrous entity... But still, what's the average village going to do against the average astral pests? Easy answer: see volumes 24-25. Without Guts' band, Enoch had no chance at all. And that was just a taste. Since the worlds have merged, each night must be a real nightmare.

HorribleNight.jpg
 

puella

Berserk forever
In Episode 312
puella said:
Roderick: I like it myself. I feel like we're at the bottom of the sea. Quite interesting, isn't it?

In Episode 322
puella said:
Guts: Sea God indeed. It's not just a feeling, it's really like we're at the bottom of the sea!!

:schnoz:
 
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