What Should the SkullKast Cover?

What do you want to hear more of in the future?

  • More character shows

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • More big-picture shows

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Older volume reviews

    Votes: 6 42.9%
  • General Talk

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • Explaining specific Berserk concepts in detail (e.g. causality, the astral world, etc.)

    Votes: 4 28.6%
  • Other (explain in the thread, please)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    14

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
We're fast approaching our third year recording the SkullKast :isidro:. And despite Berserk only having 8 episodes since we started back in Feb. 2011, we've managed to record 38 hour-plus shows.

We took a break from regular recording honestly because Berserk just hasn't been on my brain very much recently, due to the hiatus. Without that, it's hard for me to think of creative topics. That will change when the series is back in 2014. So right now, I'm afforded the chance to think of where we should go from here.

I've reviewed the download numbers to see which episodes were the most popular, and was surprised that it wasn't uniform. I realized that the way I listen to podcasts is probably different from most people. For example, if I like a show, I tend to listen to all the episodes in a row, like a TV show. But podcasts aren't necessarily like that. Judging from the numbers, people tend to download topics that interest them and skip ones that don't. Character shows have proven popular in general, but not all of them.

There's also the question of format. As most listeners know by this point, my two big obsessions are Berserk and video games. That's why the SkullKast regularly spends half its time talking about games. But it doesn't have to be that way.

So, I'm asking you, fellow listeners: What would you like to hear more (or less) of in the future? Our basic outline so far has been laser-focused episodes on specific topics, Berserk Episode Reviews and character-centric episodes. What worked for you, and what didn't? Should I break off the video game chat into a separate podcast so it doesn't clog the show up?

Please let me know your honest feedback! I'm a writer by trade, so I'm used to criticism.
 
I love the Skullcasts. I usually listen to all of it while i am working, i enjoy the discussions of the video games/movies/phone conversations as much as Berserk. The Berserk discussions are serious so it's a nice change when you guys are joking with the games and movies. Listening to the Podcasts made me realize just how deep the Berserk universe really is.
What i personally would like to see is some kind of reread project, i learn so much stuff when you guys revisit older events in the series. It would be nice if you gave us some kind of "homework" for example you could say that you would talk about volumes 1-3 in the next Podcast, we could then ask you guys about questions.
I voted for Older Volume Reviews.
 
Congrats to everyone who's been part of the Skullkast's, time's flown super quick and it'll been 3 years already?! Dang.

Agree with Joe. Knowing a topic that's going to be discussed on the next podcast would help us prep for it or ask those questions if we had any.

I used to subscribe to the podcast on my iPad but I gave it to my dad last December and since, I've found it convenient to just stream the podcast through the link posted in the topic. The drawback to that approach is that it's hard for me to go back to older podcast's but I've done that with the SK and Femto discussions.

I'm not much of a gamer but the discussions you have don't make me switch off the podcast, it's probably because I like the camaraderie everyone shares on mic. Randomness is always fun. In the last podcast there was talk of a Zelda cereal. Maybe discuss totally whack or funky or really good things you'd recommend as far as edibles are concerned :farnese:

In addition to Berserk, always a bonus for me personally when it comes to movies or TV shows. Maybe talk about books you've commonly read or recommend (science fiction, fantasy, etc.)? It was pretty cool to hear about those change in TV show titles in France. The downside to this is that if you cover it in a podcast, there's a slightly low chance it'll be discussed on the board with other people weighing in together and being part of a sort of active discussion if that makes any sense.

Berserk related merchandise, Vagabond, REAL chats would be cool as well. That chat about Berserk art was good fun too.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I like it just the way it is now, and I don't mind all of the video game discussion. I voted for older volume reviews, in case you guys run out of topics to discuss. Otherwise, keep up the good work. :ubik:
 

Grail

Feel the funk blast
I admit that I’m a bit biased… I don’t mind the video game discussion as long as it involves games that I’m interested in. :ganishka: But of course, I always prefer more Berserk-related content if it’s possible. I would really get into a reread project where you cover a few volumes, or even a single volume per episode. I think this would be huge for the community as a whole because it acts as a resource, and can be replayed whenever listeners reread the series on their own time.

Aside from that, my favorite episodes of the SkullKast have been ones dealing with characters. Themes are fun too, but it can be harder to find focus with those. Hope this helps!
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
I voted for an explanation on different concepts, but Grail's idea would be cool, too. I’d also love to see a reread project. Maybe you guys could combine the two ideas and explain different concepts, characters, and themes as they are encountered in the story.
 
I prefer the Berserk centered shows as you guys usually have fascinating analysis of the series themes and characters, often bringing in cultural and language context that the average reader wouldn't be aware of. I think that reviews of older volumes would be interesting as well, especially now that we know where Miura is taking the story. It might even be interesting to see how his art and storytelling style has grown from early chapters and note longstanding themes that reoccur even now.

The general talk is fun, but personally I find it to be more fluff in comparison with the series discussion. I can hear video game and movie discussion in a multitude of places, but I can only hear a Berserk related podcast here.
 

Gobolatula

praise be to grail!
Panel-by-panel dramatic readings of the entire series thusfar starring Aaz as Puck.

Just kidding. Kind of.

I really love the character-based podcasts. To be honest, I love hearing you guys' speculation and theories about future events, too. I always feel like you can never go TOO DEEP with Berserk and this podcast. There are countless events, characters, concepts, etc that could be discussed.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
More guests! I think they make them a lot more fun and versatile. Other than that, you guys touch on most of the topics I enjoy listening to.

Oh, and quite possiblymore stuff on One Piece I'm just saying oh god don't hate me.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks for the input guys, I'm going to take all of it to heart. I think it's a foregone conclusion, given the reception, that we'll do a form of a re-read. The challenge is to make it interesting, and not a kind of book review. That would get boring quick for all involved, and it's why I've stayed away from a straight re-read, aside from highlighting a few passages in conjunction with larger concepts. What I'm afraid of is a moment when all three of us are turning through the pages saying, "Yep... aaaand onto page 136." :ganishka:

Joe Chip said:
i enjoy the discussions of the video games/movies/phone conversations as much as Berserk.

Thanks, me too :ubik:

What i personally would like to see is some kind of reread project, i learn so much stuff when you guys revisit older events in the series. It would be nice if you gave us some kind of "homework" for example you could say that you would talk about volumes 1-3 in the next Podcast, we could then ask you guys about questions.

I think we can try this out. I'll say up front that I think a lot of the interesting material in the volumes is self-evident, and I'd rather not explain concepts that most people are intimately familiar with. But there are definitely cases where aspects of the series are commonly misunderstood.

IncantatioN said:
Knowing a topic that's going to be discussed on the next podcast would help us prep for it or ask those questions if we had any.

I'm not against it, but that would mean putting the member questions up front, and maybe using them to drive the first part of the show. Otherwise, we'd discuss a topic and then have likely the same questions be asked at the end of it. A potential problem with this format (which I've seen in a few different podcasts) is that the topic changes are often abrupt.

Maybe talk about books you've commonly read or recommend (science fiction, fantasy, etc.)?

I like this idea. But it probably amounts to maybe one or two segments in total. I don't read too regularly anymore, but I think Aaz does.

Rhombaad said:
I voted for older volume reviews, in case you guys run out of topics to discuss. Otherwise, keep up the good work. :ubik:

There are a wealth of topics still, but as I've said a few times, mining one that is ripe for discussion across 30-50 minutes isn't always easy.

Grail said:
I would really get into a reread project where you cover a few volumes, or even a single volume per episode. I think this would be huge for the community as a whole because it acts as a resource, and can be replayed whenever listeners reread the series on their own time.

A commentary track for volumes is a neat idea to ponder on , for sure.

ApostleBob said:
I prefer the Berserk centered shows as you guys usually have fascinating analysis of the series themes and characters, often bringing in cultural and language context that the average reader wouldn't be aware of.

Aside from a handful, all of our shows have been Berserk-centered though.

It might even be interesting to see how his art and storytelling style has grown from early chapters and note longstanding themes that reoccur even now.

We did actually do something like this for Episodes 9-10.

I can hear video game and movie discussion in a multitude of places

Yeah, but not from US. :badbone:

Gobolatula said:
Panel-by-panel dramatic readings of the entire series thusfar starring Aaz as Puck.

Just kidding. Kind of.

You know, I did really have fun doing mock-dramatic readings of those Dark Horse blurbs. Might be onto something here :carcus:

I really love the character-based podcasts. To be honest, I love hearing you guys' speculation and theories about future events, too. I always feel like you can never go TOO DEEP with Berserk and this podcast. There are countless events, characters, concepts, etc that could be discussed.

I enjoy speculation to a point. Part of me is always thinking up stuff, especially when newer content comes out. But the other part of me is wary of overanalyzing things, and ruining a potential reveal by arriving at it beforehand.

Johnstantine said:
More guests! I think they make them a lot more fun and versatile.

I'm all for guests, but picking the right person that makes sense for the topic is tough sometimes. Look at the music and art topics we've had in the past: the guests make sense. But who would we bring on for a Causality topic show? Maybe I'm just being too formal with the idea of guests...

Oh, and quite possibly more stuff on One Piece I'm just saying oh god don't hate me.

Sorry, but that's just never gonna happen. We don't even talk about Vagabond very often, and that's a series that 2/3 of us like, instead of the 1/3 for Naruto, er, I mean One Piece.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I don't necessarily mind the video game or movie discussions but Berserk is the main thing I listen to you guys discuss since it's what I consider you three to be the most knowledgeable about (I mean Berserk in general, you guys are the experts :guts:). A lot of times when the the Berserk discussion is 30-40 minutes and then another hour is other random topics, I unfortunately don't have the time to listen to the whole thing and so I find myself listening to the Berserk stuff and that's it.

I would fully support re-read project of any kind and would most definitely listen to you guys discuss older Berserk topics. Hell, I'd even enjoy an episode by episode discussion. Obviously not a whole Podcast devoted to just one episode. But perhaps set aside some time on each podcast to discuss individual episodes. That way it wouldn't be too strenuous as covering a whole volume (it wouldnt take up a lot of time) and you could milk that for a long time to come. That would be ideal for me :serpico:
 
I wasn't sure whether or not to mention this but, since you did ask what we'd like to hear less of, I personally would like to hear less Skype sounds, I find them annoying in general and hearing them during an otherwise quite informative and entertaining podcast is distracting to me (they don't pop up on every show but when they do they completely throw me off). I think the production value of the show i quite good, but it would be even better without those sounds.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
m said:
I wasn't sure whether or not to mention this but, since you did ask what we'd like to hear less of, I personally would like to hear less Skype sounds, I find them annoying in general and hearing them during an otherwise quite informative and entertaining podcast is distracting to me (they don't pop up on every show but when they do they completely throw me off). I think the production value of the show i quite good, but it would be even better without those sounds.
Not sure what you mean. Like, the odd time someone joins a call mid-recording? I think that's happened a total of 2 times. But if they're that bothersome, I'll try to remember to disable them on the machine that records.

In all honesty, we hold the show together with Skype, but it would be infinitely better with us in the same room. I don't foresee that happening though. Maybe a special cast when the series ends? And we're geriatric?
 
Walter said:
Not sure what you mean. Like, the odd time someone joins a call mid-recording? I think that's happened a total of 2 times. But if they're that bothersome, I'll try to remember to disable them on the machine that records.

I'm more referring to the sounds someone gets when they get a message (the first sound on this link: https://soundcloud.com/beyondthebeep/skype-first-message-received). I think doing the show using Skype is a good way of doing it, it's just these sounds that throw me off.

I think I may have a negative predisposition to the Skype sounds (perhaps a pavlovian response or something). :farnese:
 
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