Should I read Episode 83?

Hello, I'm new here and just finished a read through of the series having finally completed my Dark Horse collection. I have a serious question regarding this Episode that I would like to ask experts.

Should I read this Episode?

I ask this never before reading it, and I'm worried that the contents will alter my view of the series in ways it shouldn't, considering Miura himself took it out of the volume. Normally I wouldn't be so worried about a "Lost" Episode, but I've heard this one covers series defining content such as God and whatnot. Mysteries of the Berserk world if you will. So I want to read it, but don't want to regret it later if such huge topics turn out to not be canon and are never brought up again.

Is the risk worth reading it? Am I just blowing the whole thing out of proportion?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Personally, I can't imagine not reading it. I think you should read it, but with the knowledge that it's a rather special episode. There's nothing in there that will "spoil" the series, but it does shed light on the nature of causality and some of the mysterious phenomena we've witnessed. Anyway, even though Miura has removed the episode, the Idea of Evil is still an important figure in the Berserk universe. It was shown in Episode 82, referenced by episode titles (Shadow of Idea 1-3) and indirectly referenced by Flora in Vol 24. Furthermore, the revelations in the episode are still consistent with the world Miura's created and expanded in the nearly 20 years since its release.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Mickamott said:
Am I just blowing the whole thing out of proportion?

Hi! I think you are indeed blowing it a bit out of proportion, but it's commendable that you'd even ask yourself the question. I believe it's worth a read, just keep in mind it's not canon.
 
Mickamott said:
Hello, I'm new here and just finished a read through of the series having finally completed my Dark Horse collection. I have a serious question regarding this Episode that I would like to ask experts.

Should I read this Episode?

I ask this never before reading it, and I'm worried that the contents will alter my view of the series in ways it shouldn't, considering Miura himself took it out of the volume. Normally I wouldn't be so worried about a "Lost" Episode, but I've heard this one covers series defining content such as God and whatnot. Mysteries of the Berserk world if you will. So I want to read it, but don't want to regret it later if such huge topics turn out to not be canon and are never brought up again.

Is the risk worth reading it? Am I just blowing the whole thing out of proportion?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Hey there, I'm actually in the same boat, I only found out about the pulled episode when reading the forums this year as I prefer to follow the series volume by volume. I have decided though, that in my next re-read of the series I will have a look at episode 83 in the intended order :). Let me know what you think of it when you read it.
 
Thanks for the comments, I've decided to read it. Another problem though, is there a legal way to read it? And if not is there a quality translation I could be pointed to?

I know it's the site's requirement that one always purchase/support whatever Berserk one consumes but I can't think of any way to get it. If there's a way to do so then I'll happily support it, if not though then I apologize for reading it illegally (what with it being no longer available).

Thank you again in advance.

Beherit. said:
Let me know what you think of it when you read it.

Will do, though I unfortunately will not be experiencing it in order, having only just finished another reading of the series.
 
I finally read it, and I certainly see what you all meant now regarding the Episode (and the fact that I definitely blew it out of proportion).

It's nowhere near as "series defining" as I made it up to be, though it is indeed an important event. Well, I suppose it *is* series defining but the thing is, it really does fit in so well and remains consistent even now with the series (as Walter mentioned above) to the point that I feel like it's something that I might even have been assuming to have existed the entire time. I don't claim to have inferred details of the Idea of Evil before reading this Episode, but the Idea itself is so natural when it comes to this series, especially with all the hints, references, and mentions of whatever the Idea (God) might be in the accepted canon of the series.

Despite how well it fits in, and even provides greater meaning for, with the story itself and its themes of causality, evil, and fate, I completely understand and fully support his reasoning for taking it out. To explicitly state and define something like this in a story, it really can limit the potential of what can be done despite how well planned it is and how well it already fits in with the series. In particular with a long running epic like Berserk believe this sort of definition should be avoided, at least early on.

Because of how well thought out the Idea is (and how intriguing a concept it is for me) though, it is my belief and prediction that the Idea still exists in the story and more importantly within Miura's plans for the story. He likely developed the series up to that point with a plan for the Idea, but decided to hold off it's full-fledged debut in the case that he wished to tweak it in some way, and to really craft that inevitable revelation of the Idea to the most impactful point in the story.

Those are my thoughts on the matter. I did this very off the cuff with no prior planning, and this post got *much* longer than planned (originally two sentences...) so I apologize if it's not organized well and/or hard to follow.

Thank you to whoever on this site translated the Episode as well, it was nice to have a trustworthy source.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Mickamott said:
Because of how well thought out the Idea is (and how intriguing a concept it is for me) though, it is my belief and prediction that the Idea still exists in the story and more importantly within Miura's plans for the story. He likely developed the series up to that point with a plan for the Idea, but decided to hold off it's full-fledged debut in the case that he wished to tweak it in some way, and to really craft that inevitable revelation of the Idea to the most impactful point in the story.

Like Walter said above, the Idea of Evil exists in the story regardless of episode 83. It is both shown and referenced throughout the series, including through this picture:

Idea_of_Evil.jpg


However, that's not a guarantee that it will make a grand return at some point. When Miura replied to our interview in 2009, he had this to say about it: "I myself don’t know if the Idea of Evil will show up again in the manga or not." Furthermore, since then one of the main design elements of the Idea of Evil, that of a heart lined with eyes, has been reused for the heart of the Sea God. So even if it were to be featured again, that could be a reason to expect some change.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Aazealh said:
Like Walter said above, the Idea of Evil exists in the story regardless of episode 83. It is both shown and referenced throughout the series, including through this picture:

Idea_of_Evil.jpg

See, I love that moment. I can see why there would be much more weight to it if I had never read episode 83.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Johnstantine said:
See, I love that moment. I can see why there would be much more weight to it if I had never read episode 83.

I remember it quite well even before we had Episode 83, and my reaction was: What the FUCK is that supposed to be..?
 
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