Episode 265

My compliments to the Admin ;)

Interesting, I have to admit I expected Owen to stay in the story long enough to get the word about Guts's past, in particular his participation with the Hawks and their demise. It's bound to happen eventually, and for some reason I'm really looking forward to it.
On that note I am starting to wonder if Azan will catch up to the group in time, will Miura just have him linger around in the far backround of the current story before being left behind again? I wouldn't have thought so, but there is still time for him to get into the action bringing along his knightly pride and all. ;D
 
Before I would not have taken the idea of Roderick joining the group indefinitely seriously but I can't help but have second thoughts now that it's come this far. Even so he hasn't proven to be really valuable as a fighter just yet, and lets be honest there's no chance of the useless bitch Magnifico joining indefinitely.

I could be wrong but my prediction on the matter will be after they get the boat and get to their destination Roderick and Magnifico will go down their own path, but whether thats before or after they get to elfhelm is harder to figure out.
If the change between Guts to Griffith will be coming soon the story could likely jump characters after they get on the boat. The Priest in 264 has given me the feeling the story change is near.

Rhombaad said:
Wonder if Guts may end up having to fight more than one at the same time eventually...  As in control as he is, he still has the wound Slann gave him, so there is always the chance the Beast might surface. :chomp:

Well he seems to be in much better condition since he has rested and all; it's unlikley the wound has gone away altogether and it will surely play a bigger role before he gets to Elfhelm but at least he is more prepared for combat now. :)

BTW December 22nd.... I have to admit it's times like these that I wish I discovered the Manga years later (even after the whole series has finished) so I could just buy them all at once and not have to wait like this.
 
Real thanks Aaz it's the greatest surprise of my week (poor man) anyway nice episode, I like the way the fight turned with the whole band fighting(except Schierke)and thanks to Miura we have some more questions "Daka controlled by casters?!" :isidro:
I hope to get my hand on the translation soon!
And I dunno who ask why "Miura" does take so long to make an episode but I'd answer:
1)Look at the "artistic quality" really the artwork are great in Berserk nothing like a lot of weekly manga or any comics,read some of the most popular Shonen(Naruto,Hunter X, etc)in those manga we have 2/3 of the pages with absolutely no backgroung(blank backgroung)and now re-read berserk and look at it...quality have a price...moreover American(or European)comics are not weekly and even have a slower release than Berserk(20/30 page a month)so it is unusual for a Manga but not THAT unusual for a comic strip!

2)Berserk have a great story/storyline,deep characters and keep surprising us after YEARS ,so I rather wait a month than reading a weekly Naruto(it's really the best exemple) with "almost" no depth in its story and poor artwork...

Then I may repeat myself but "quality have a price" and in Berserk case this price is the time between two episodes(and not that bothersome),and I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly  :carcus:
 

mahlernut

I call the big one Bitey!
Personal favorite moment: the look on Farnese's face when Schierke (Edit: I mean Guts; damned small speech-bubble arrows) mentions the fight between Guts and Serpico XD

Thanks as always, Aaz!
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Sparnage said:
I could be wrong but my prediction on the matter will be after they get the boat and get to their destination Roderick and Magnifico will go down their own path

Well that's the most likely scenario...

Sparnage said:
If the change between Guts to Griffith will be coming soon the story could likely jump characters after they get on the boat.

That's also the most likely development as far as I'm concerned. ^^;

Sparnage said:
Well he seems to be in much better condition since he has rested and all; it's unlikley the wound has gone away altogether and it will surely play a bigger role before he gets to Elfhelm but at least he is more prepared for combat now.

Yeah, remember that he was briefly tempted during the fight with Serpico though, so no matter what he says, there is always a risk. I think SK's warning and the fight on the beach made it clear.

Sparnage said:
I wish I discovered the Manga years later (even after the whole series has finished) so I could just buy them all at once and not have to wait like this.

Waiting is half the pleasure. :casca:

avi said:
Is there a reason for all of these long breaks?

Vacations? :badbone:

Mad Angel Loki said:
1)Look at the "artistic quality" really the artwork are great in Berserk nothing like a lot of weekly manga or any comics

Surely the artwork in Berserk is currently one of the best in the world. That couldn't be possibly done with a weekly release, but it also doesn't mean that if other authors had semi-monthly releases their art would be better. It's first and foremost a matter of skill, and Miura's skills are exceptional.

However, that has nothing to do with the breaks (at least not directly), the usual schedule to draw the episodes is just 2 weeks, with an average of 16 hours of work a day for at least 6 days a week from what I've read. And it's mostly him alone, the assistants only work a few days a month, and less hours a day of course. That's why it's funny when some dipshits call Miura "lazy". They're the same guys that don't buy his work, but I digress.

Mad Angel Loki said:
2)Berserk have a great story/storyline,deep characters and keep surprising us after YEARS

That's more like it. Though what I said about vacations might also stand, the schedule is infernal and as you should know Miura got sick because of overworking/straining himself not so long ago. I'd rather have him watch his health than fall ill and stop working for 6 months to recover. Problem is that Miura is a perfectionist from his own admission, and I simply don't see him relaxing for too long (and know for a fact that he doesn't). Breaks are the perfect occasion to purely concentrate on the plot, design of new characters, development of various stuff, etc. Giving him time to always have the story planned in advance so that he can just just focus on the episodes themselves when he draws them, having the general direction and main events already set. That's the official reason stated almost everytime in YA when there's a break: to work on the story.

Then there are all the side projects. Games, illustrations, etc. It may not look like it but Miura's painted a lot for the Trading Card Game for example, that's as much time he didn't spend working on the manga.
 

Noid

fuusshhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhHHHH
Thanks a lot Aazealh.

Aazealh said:
However, that has nothing to do with the breaks (at least not directly), the usual schedule to draw the episodes is just 2 weeks, with an average of 16 hours of work a day for at least 6 days a week from what I've read. And it's mostly him alone, the assistants only work a few days a month, and less hours a day of course.
Wau, I don't like waiting, but now that I Know this, I will be more patient :SK:.
Well, He really deserves a vacation; it's inhuman work like that...:miura:.
 
Lith will have some amazingly colored pages with this episode.

*Pictures the lighting of the cast and the surrounding burning city*

I can't wait to see what she does.
 
Aazealh said:
avi said:
Is there a reason for all of these long breaks?

Vacations? :badbone:

I hope... Someone said me that the reason for all this break was because Miura was ill...

But more probably it is for the reason that Mad Angel Loki and you said, the artistic quality of Berserk is the best in the world, and 2 weeks to create those amazing image are very few...
 

Uriel

This journey isn't ov--AARGH!
Okay, I feel like a bit of a douche now...

I didn't really read this thread thoroughly, but now I noticed Aaz already posted images of the double-spread images... well, I just spent the past 45 minutes Photoshopping those two images and I now feel like I did it for nothing. I did my best to get rid of the scan lines too, so feel free to take a look and use the images, y'all. Click to view high-res :badbone:


As for the episode.. well.. there wasn't anything mind-blowing about it. It was kind of like reheating old material in the oven. That doesn't mean to say it wasn't champion, because it was bloody champion! I just felt like it was a Kushan-Cameo special. All that was missing was the Croc's :puck:
 
Bleak Harvest said:
Okay, I feel like a bit of a douche now...

I didn't really read this thread thoroughly, but now I noticed Aaz already posted images of the double-spread images... well, I just spent the past 45 minutes Photoshopping those two images and I now feel like I did it for nothing. I did my best to get rid of the scan lines too, so feel free to take a look and use the images, y'all. Click to view high-res :badbone:
Don't feel too bad; my idea of mergin the 2-page spreads involves my primitive knowledge of MS Paint: increasing a scan's width by tugging the leftmost side's line/barrier with the mouse for 10 minutes and C&Ping the other half. :puck:

Suffice to say, both yours and Aaz's 2-page spreads are fantastic. Kudos to the both of you for doing this. :badbone:
Bleak Harvest said:
As for the episode.. well.. there wasn't anything mind-blowing about it. It was kind of like reheating old material in the oven. That doesn't mean to say it wasn't champion, because it was bloody champion! I just felt like it was a Kushan-Cameo special. All that was missing was the Croc's :puck:
I like to this of this episode as a set-up for Guts and company's departure by passing a trial by fire: Kill all these Kushan forces and head towards Roderick's ship just down by the nearby warehouse district. Except for Roderick and Magnifico, everyone will work together to get through this predicament. It's almost touching to be reminded again how much Guts has come to consider Serpico, Farnese, Casca, Isidro, Puck, Evarella and Schierke as companions. :judo:

I do wonder, with how close the group's to the port (warehouse district and makara right in front of them), if Azan will be introduced to them. He may be in the warehouse district, ready to be introduced to the group the way he showed up after the Retribution Tower fell: from out of the fresh rubble and smashing someone's head in in the nick of time. :guts:

I seriously doubt Azan's introduction will be anything like that, but it's still fun to contemplate. Right now, Guts' story is shaping up for some intense action. Imagine Serpico leaping through the air and decapitating the riders, Farnese's familiars tripping the tigers and Guts' cutting up that makara's face real pretty like. We know Guts can kill it, but with that kind of enemy again, I'm curious as to if the beast will present itself here and if so, how strongly.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
avi said:
I hope... Someone said me that the reason for all this break was because Miura was ill...

No, that was last year. I didn't hear anything about him being sick again, and he said that he was sorry for the delays in the last YA so...

Smith said:
I mean his assistant really help him a few days in a month... Omg I dont think that is assistant...

They don't get paid that much either from what I've read.

Bleak Harvest said:
Okay, I feel like a bit of a douche now... I didn't really read this thread thoroughly, but now I noticed Aaz already posted images of the double-spread images... well, I just spent the past 45 minutes Photoshopping those two images and I now feel like I did it for nothing.

Really, no reason to feel bad, you did a good job. :guts: Besides it's not like Walter and I spent hours working on these. :SK:

Bleak Harvest said:
As for the episode.. well.. there wasn't anything mind-blowing about it. It was kind of like reheating old material in the oven.

Yeah, nothing groundbreaking in this episode, yet things could hardly be different IMO. Guts & co have to get near the harbor, and that's precisely from where the onslaught is led... So meeting and fighting Kushan forces is pretty natural. People would have complained without a fight anyway.

I like the little things Miura included in it though, Roderick witnessing Serpico and Isidro's skills, Farnese using her familiars again, the guards acknowledging the group's fighting prowess (not just Guts), plus the implied commentary on their mindset ("Killing monsters? Yeah, the daily routine."). I thought that Guts killing that caster was pretty cool too, since it's always been Serpico before. And we got to see more of the town's destruction, as well as Schierke finally being reminded of Sonia's prediction. The Makara wasn't too unexpected, now we'll see whether things go well or not... In any case I don't think the battle will last too long.

Jhot obs said:
I do wonder, with how close the group's to the port (warehouse district and makara right in front of them), if Azan will be introduced to them.

That's a good question, it's hard to say actually. Right now Miura can do whatever he wants with him, he could appear at anytime. I don't think we've seen the last of him in Vritannis, the real question like you said is whether he'll meet up with Guts and the others or not.
 
Jhot obs said:
Don't feel too bad; my idea of mergin the 2-page spreads involves my primitive knowledge of MS Paint: increasing a scan's width by tugging the leftmost side's line/barrier with the mouse for 10 minutes and C&Ping the other half. :puck:

ROFL... Glad I'm not the only one who does this...


And thx for the epi Aaz =O
 
Thanks Aaz! Is it just me, or did the character artwork in this issue seem a little better than usual? As said, the episode itself was more of the same, but it still managed to show some new stuff, move the plot at least a little, and make one's jaw slack multiple times in awe.
Aazealh said:
However, that has nothing to do with the breaks (at least not directly), the usual schedule to draw the episodes is just 2 weeks, with an average of 16 hours of work a day for at least 6 days a week from what I've read. And it's mostly him alone, the assistants only work a few days a month, and less hours a day of course. That's why it's funny when some dipshits call Miura "lazy". They're the same guys that don't buy his work, but I digress...

Then there are all the side projects. Games, illustrations, etc. It may not look like it but Miura's painted a lot for the Trading Card Game for example, that's as much time he didn't spend working on the manga.
Wow, just wow. I didn't know his exact schedule until now. Though the number of hours required for each episode doesn't suprise me much, I always thought Studio Gaga and the others that help him did more. Much more. That's an insane workload for one guy. He can take all the breaks he wants as far as I'm concerned...I'd be suprised if he doesn't have RSI, tendonitis, carpal tunnel, or any other syndromes related to his hand.

I'm still suprised that the plot hasn't grown stale after all this time. Sure, there have been transitions, like the increased presence of magic, and the less serious tone, to the point that the group regards monster slaying as a job, and jokes are now constant. Still, it doesn't really get in the way and it's believable in the way it's written and acted (for lack of better terms) rather than cheesy. It's like a music band transitioning/exploring and the fans like the new stuff just as much as the older stuff, if not more. Pretty rare.
 

Vetrox

Bring it you mumin!
Thanks for the scans and joined pages guys!

Exciting ending, too bad the wait will be long. Oh well, we'll survive.
I'm kinda worried about Guts flunkies... will they coupe with so much Daka-cavalry?

Regarding the potential seatripp (if the ship is intact), I agree with Sparnage and Aazealh, well, either we'll see more of Griffith or something like a seamonster attack. I like the sound of both! :carcus:

What a great episode! Not very exciting fights (would have like Guts to have SOME trouble with the Daka) but Miura turned what could have been Guts & Co fighting a couple of Daka and emerging at the docks to something far more entertaining. As Aazealth said, it's full of small but cool details. I love the exprecion on Isidro's face after he slashed the Dakas. Also, kinda cool that the soldiers didn't have to do anything and they looked like they knew it :guts:
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Vetrox said:
I'm kinda worried about Guts flunkies... will they coupe with so much Daka-cavalry?

With style :badbone:. I'm not too worried about them. In fact, I'm more concerned about how well Guts handles the makara.

Gee.. i hope he doesn't die. That would be anticlimactic.
 
Alright, we have less talk & more action this episode. ;]
The troopers' reaction is a Kodak moment - completely speechless. ;D
Looks like an old monster is looking for more beating from Guts & co. as well.
 

Dark Wanderer

I'm evil :p
Aazealh said:
Anyway, like Dark Wanderer I find interesting the fact that the Daka are controlled by Kushan casters, I really would like to have Schierke's point of view on them. They're sort of like familiars but different in essence (and skills?), and probably exclusive to Ganishka... Interesting monsters. :beast:

Very exclusive indeed... I'm wondering why they resemble him a bit thorugh. Perhaps it's because that the kushan magicans ha ssome of Ganishka's essence in them. Or perhaps they're all basically Ganishka's offspring and therefore bears a resemblence to him.

Still, the fact that thye're controleld by the kushan magicans/spellcasters could mean that something has to be added or edited in the info on them on the Character page. The page says "They are fed human meat and live only to serve their master, Ganishka. " and the later part could be a bit incorrect at least; I imagined them to be independent, thorugh still loyal to Ganishka and thinking of nothing else but serving him and his needs, but in the light of the current episode, it looks like they're rather mindless without some magicans nearby (or possibly the prestence of Ganishka himself; it's after all not too far-fetched to think that he himself is a strong enough magican to control a whole army of them whereas it usually takes a group of his "lesser" magicans to control a group). Or perhaps, you might add to the page that "Like the pishacha, the daka are controled and their purpose directed by Ganishka's magicans" or soemthing...

BTW, this is strictly speaking not the first time we've seen Ganishka's minions riding something. There's alo the pishacha and Makara in the beginning of vol 28 :p
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Dark Wanderer said:
Very exclusive indeed... I'm wondering why they resemble him a bit thorugh. Perhaps it's because that the kushan magicans ha ssome of Ganishka's essence in them. Or perhaps they're all basically Ganishka's offspring and therefore bears a resemblence to him.

Huh? You're referring to the bald, monk-like people who control the familiars, right? I don't see a resemblance between them and Ganishka...

Still, the fact that thye're controleld by the kushan magicans/spellcasters could mean that something has to be added or edited in the info on them on the Character page. The page says "They are fed human meat and live only to serve their master, Ganishka. " and the later part could be a bit incorrect at least; I imagined them to be independent, thorugh still loyal to Ganishka and thinking of nothing else but serving him and his needs, but in the light of the current episode, it looks like they're rather mindless without some magicans nearby (or possibly the prestence of Ganishka himself; it's after all not too far-fetched to think that he himself is a strong enough magican to control a whole army of them whereas it usually takes a group of his "lesser" magicans to control a group). Or perhaps, you might add to the page that "Like the pishacha, the daka are controled and their purpose directed by Ganishka's magicans" or soemthing...

The daka serve Ganishka as do the magicians who direct the daka. Its not really a stretch to say that.

BTW, this is strictly speaking not the first time we've seen Ganishka's minions riding something. There's alo the pishacha and Makara in the beginning of vol 28 :p

You mean the makara crushing the pishacha? I it was "riding them" ...
this is the first time we've seen a sort of cavalry of Ganishka's forces that wasn't human...
 

Dark Wanderer

I'm evil :p
CnC said:
Huh? You're referring to the bald, monk-like people who control the familiars, right?  I don't see a resemblance between them and Ganishka...

The teeth. All daka, pishacha and makara has that, and we know that Ganishka has VERY similar teeth.

The daka serve Ganishka as do the magicians who direct the daka.  Its not really a stretch to say that.

ookay, you may be right...

You mean the makara crushing the pishacha?  I it was "riding them" ...
this is the first time we've seen a sort of cavalry of Ganishka's forces that wasn't human...

XD. Open your vol 28 and you'll understand. But seriously it was/is just a half-joke on my part. But it's true...
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Dark Wanderer said:
The teeth. All daka, pishacha and makara has that, and we know that Ganishka has VERY similar teeth.

well the alligator and elephant familiars don't. And neither do the priests (the topic of the conversation) that control the familiars.

Dark Wanderer said:
XD. Open your vol 28 and you'll understand. But seriously it was/is just a half-joke on my part. But it's true...

You seem to imply that the makara was riding the gators, but in fact all its doing is crushing all that is in it's way. Sorry if I missed the intricate subtleties of your humor.
 
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