Episode 288

SlimJ87D

Apollo
Can someone please reupload the file somewhere else or possibly send it to me? I can't seem to open it, something is wrong with my adobe maybe, and it wont let me save the file, just trys and opens it right away from wiki.

Please?
 
Saiya, man you made me one happy camper, thank you very much!
Roderick certainly grows in stature, a wonderful roguish quality about him.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Jhot obs said:
Awesome episode as always. The pirate bastard's comeback should be fun. A rematch between him & Isidro maybe? Hope the sea battle is a rough-n-tumble swashbuckling, Errol Flynn inspired romp for Guts'/Roderick's crew. Though with how banged up Guts is, I don't see him doing much in the way of fighting. More likely, it'll be Roderick's turn to show how useful he & his crew are in aiding Guts when he's not supposed to do shit in his condition.

I agree with Proj's idea, I think Roderick will obliterate most of the pirates until maybe the last of them manage to board his ship. Then a short battle will ensue, maybe seeing Isidro and Azan jump into the fray. I don't think Guts will intervene, except perharps at the very last moment, getting out of bed to deal with a pirate having taken an hostage or threatening to blow up a powder barrel or something similar (and Serpico could do it as well). Overall it's clear this event is meant to emphasize Roderick's skills and usefulness when he's in his element.

CnC said:
lol. Sounds about right. Unfortunately for him he missed my argument blah blah blah

I was right. :casca:

thesyndrome said:
hmmm, could roderick be the tactition needed to topple griffith once he gains power? i'm thinking out of my ass, so don't take me seriously on that point

Unless they're fighting at sea, I doubt that. So far Roderick really seems to be all about sailing. And then there's Saiya's very valid argument that beating Griffith isn't really about tactics anymore.

SlimJ87D said:
Can someone please reupload the file somewhere else or possibly send it to me? I can't seem to open it, something is wrong with my adobe maybe, and it wont let me save the file, just trys and opens it right away from wiki.

Then you just wait until it opens in your navigator and save it to your desktop afterwards. No more posts about this from anyone please. If some people can't get it, it means they're not making enough efforts.
 

SlimJ87D

Apollo
I know that's what you're suppose to do, but it wont open in my navigator, it tries to open seperatly and then it says it can't find the file at all. normally I would just click file > save as, but for some reason it wont open in the navigator.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
SlimJ87D said:
I know that's what you're suppose to do, but it wont open in my navigator, it tries to open seperatly and then it says it can't find the file at all. normally I would just click file > save as, but for some reason it wont open in the navigator.

Try another navigator then. Or change the downloading/opening options, anything.
 

SlimJ87D

Apollo
ok, had to download and reinstall Adobe reader 8, it fixes the problems people might have! hope this helps.

I was doing other stuff like messing with the browser settings and adobe settings... but this fixes it.
 

IgnusDei

mmh-hmm good.
*adds "Prince of the Sea" to Roderick's Wikipedia entry.

I love it when characters get more fleshed out.
 
Sparnage said:
Thank you Saiya, and well well, isn't Roderick full of surprises. I can't help but feel out of Guts group, he is one of the most likely to be killed first or second.

Agree totally. It has been harder for me to keep my interest since I've been reading it from week to week, it's natural. I read up to volume 25 all within 2 weeks. Were there slower less interesting parts in certain episodes during the story? Dunno, I was onto the next Episode 5 minutes later and it connected well to the next one, so it wasn't noticeable. Now the longer we wait, in particular as the breaks between episodes becomes bigger and bigger it is inevitably harder to appreciate.

Almost exactly a year ago Guts and Zodd put their combined forces to give Ganishka a mark on his head. In another year, the crew will be just moving on from this pirate business.

I would like to say aye to that too. Its so much fun to read a whole volume in one sitting. I can almost never stop myself once I have started but now it seems like I almost expect there to be a long break after every episode. I also think about how difficult it is for Miura to work on new episodes since he has to worry about continuity, expectations and motivation week after week to work on the same project.. well its commendable I guess. But I wonder if all these breaks indicate that he is getting tired of Berserk as well :isidro: So over all IMO where the art (graphics/drawing/characters sketches/expressions) has gotten better, the story and pacing has slid down from its best moments. Say hello to Jack Sparrow!

I am just a pawn but this frustration should mean something coming from the likes of Sparnage and GNM. In the past when someone has complained about pacing/quality then he has been promptly rebuked and hushed as being just an inexperienced padawan. I guess all of us can get a little frustrated sometimes.... Sometimes I wish I had found out about Berserk only after it had been completed ... What am I saying :judo:

Well on with Life

EDIT: Thanks Saiya
 
I seriously hope Miura wont lose interest at all... Not seeing a senario where the story end all of sudden... With a big open end and waiting for someone to take over in Berserk 2 :judo:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I think you guys are reading too much into the breaks, Miura frequently takes breaks from the release schedule, but that's probably because there's a lot to draw ahead and he likes to get every detail. If Miura cheated and reused old panels and used stock textures and patterns like some other authors *cough*Inoue*cough* I'm sure he could go much faster. =)


Anyway, I don't get really frustrated reading the episodes anymore, because like many here I've following the series week to week since Wally started posting the latest episodes way back in the Retribution arc. It was quite a trip at the time, and I remember those moments of, "What the Hell is this!? Get to the point!" when Guts was having his battles in the tower. I mean, that's classic Berserk at this point, dark as can be, and basically the middle of the series now (crazy to think, I still nostalgically perceive it as "new stuff" =). At the time I wasn't crazy about it though, and the arc in progress is usually always my least favorite until it's over with. I really didn't like a lot of the events of volume 25 at the time, but now it's fine that I see it in context.

That's the illusion of weekly reading, it's always seemingly ho-hum or going downhill from the already completed stuff, but that's because it literally is incomplete; we're stuck in the middle of the trees, so we can't see the forest. That's why I'm a lot more patient now and I take new episodes with a grain of salt until I can see them in context, in the flow of the story.

And I made this for those times when somebody forgets these facts and falls for the the illusion of reading week to week:

weekly.jpg
 

SaiyajinNoOuji

I'm still better than you
Smith said:
I seriously hope Miura wont lose interest at all... Not seeing a senario where the story end all of sudden... With a big open end and waiting for someone to take over in Berserk 2 :judo:
I just have this picture of the Gut's crew and God Hand facing off with each other in a break dance battle.

Berserk 2: Electric Boogaloo
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
MaN said:
I also think about how difficult it is for Miura to work on new episodes since he has to worry about continuity, expectations and motivation week after week to work on the same project.. well its commendable I guess. But I wonder if all these breaks indicate that he is getting tired of Berserk as well

No, don't think he's getting tired of anything. The six months break was basically full time work for him, even though the publication was halted. Then we had a smaller break recently, during which he painted 12 new color illustrations for the MBR release, which are so far pretty cool. He might have used that time to take a bit of a rest too, but also to detail future events. Then there's the oncoming break, during which he'll paint the cover for volume 32 and the 2 posters, plus god knows what else. It's not like the breaks are unexpected or anything. If you guys paid attention, early this year I posted one of Miura's comments in which he said that unfortunately the publication would be chaotic this year like it was for the last. It's not a surprise, it's not done on a whim, it's all planned.

MaN said:
So over all IMO where the art (graphics/drawing/characters sketches/expressions) has gotten better, the story and pacing has slid down from its best moments. Say hello to Jack Sparrow!

Now I mean no offense but that's a pretty stupid comment right here. The story right now is a continuation of the journey started in volume 22, and putting aside the fact you've said the same kind of stuff about past episodes that you now probably think are GREAT, I don't think there's much logic behind your statement. The pacing and story haven't slid down a notch from what they were in volume 17 or 18 for example. Or in any volume really. Do you remember that people were constantly whining because it took too long to get on the boat? I mean for YEARS, people kept asking for the goddamn boat and Guts' high seas adventures, and complaining that Flora's place was boring, the beach was boring, Vritannis was boring. Now they actually have the boat, they have the character development that was certain to take place while at sea, and they have some showcase of Roderick's ability plus a little naval battle. What's not to love? You wanted them to get on the boat so much, but you expected Guts to kill apostles in the water or something? This is a pretty cool opportunity to address a theme in the manga that won't be seen again afterwards. Just sit back and enjoy it.

As for your "Jack Sparrow" comment, I think it's really just sad that you're on that level of reasoning. I'm repeating myself, but it was planned that there'd be a sea faring part in the manga since 2000. Miura took a break and travelled to get data on ships and such in 2002. Do you understand? The fact Disney decided to release a pirate movie in the meantime doesn't have any bearing on Berserk, and ideally I wouldn't even have to tell you this because of how obvious it is.

"Oh yeah man, a sea battle! :isidro: I've already seen sea battles in other series, it's so lame! Why can't Guts just fight apostles like in volume 1? Those were the days!"

Roderick is a badass on the sea, we see him demonstrate his ability, that's it. Too bad if you can't enjoy it. Notice the smart reference about his cannons being better though? Just like in real history? No? Well too bad then I guess. I'm sure you wish Guts was killing swarms of monsters like before now. Oh but wait, when he did just that in Enoch you didn't like it because of the monsters' name, because you had read about similarly named monsters once and you'd have preferred Guts to fight apostles, just like in volume 1. Those were the days man.

MaN said:
I am just a pawn but this frustration should mean something coming from the likes of Sparnage and GNM.

Since Griffith is being nice I'll take it upon myself to clarify right now that his first reply was sarcastic and making fun of NightCrawler's post. And Sparnage was agreeing with Griffith that reading the story as it progresses episodically makes it harder to fully appreciate compared to reading it in bulk, not that it's less good now that it was 5 years ago.
 

Bowie-Spawan

The God Ass
If I was Miura I'd enjoy drawing ships and the sea for a while, seeing how the party will end up on land soon enough again :SK:
It makes for a nice change in setting.

While waiting for a new episode can be frustrating, I totally agree that it's better to make a real judgement of the plot when you can actually read a whole arc in one session. It all looks completely different when you can read through some things in one go (especially battle scenarios that span more than one or two episodes).
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
i agree completely with what GNM and aazealh have said. This level of quality takes fucking time, people. This isnt your kindergarden level of manga. Quite frankly, those of you complaining about the spacing between releases have to keep in mind that your getting this for FREE. Saiya isnt under any obligation to scan and post this. Really, hearing people complain about pacing is infuriating.

P.S .. Buy the fucking manga.
 
Because it can't be said enough...

CnC said:
i agree completely with what GNM and aazealh have said. This level of quality takes fucking time, people. This isnt your kindergarden level of manga. Quite frankly, those of you complaining about the spacing between releases have to keep in mind that your getting this for FREE. Saiya isnt under any obligation to scan and post this. Really, hearing people complain about pacing is infuriating.

P.S .. Buy the fucking manga.
 
I just love all the comments about the pacing and such they'll come again and again the only thing changing will be the name of the people saying it...
that being said this episode is interesting it's funny to see those pirates again, even if I don't think that it will bother Roderick for too long especially if we consider how strong he's depicted by the pirates...I don't think that the parallel between him and the GoldenAge Griffith is a pure coincidence and like someone stated he looks like(literally) the perfect crossing between Guts and Griffith IMO...
Anyway thanks for the episode and longue vie a Skullknight
 
Now I mean no offense but that's a pretty stupid comment right here. The story right now is a continuation of the journey started in volume 22,
Actually I disagree. I would say that this story line is continuation since the end of Volume 26 otherwise why go back to 22 and not all the way back to volume 1. Still we are on Vol. 33 and that is 7 if you take my opinion or 11 if you take yours. I use the manga itself as the basis. Take any set of 7 volumes and try writing down all that has happened in them. In my opinion, less has happened in the last 7 then probably any other set. Its not necessarily bad and may be 30 years from now when we read Berserk, it won't seem to stand out but for right now, I think it does.

Aazealh said:
As for your "Jack Sparrow" comment, I think it's really just sad that you're on that level of reasoning. I'm repeating myself, but it was planned that there'd be a sea faring part in the manga since 2000. Miura took a break and travelled to get data on ships and such in 2002. Do you understand?

Roderick is a badass on the sea, we see him demonstrate his ability, that's it. Too bad if you can't enjoy it.
Look Aaz. I don't care if the pirate's character was planned in 2000 or in 1960. To me he just doesn't fit in very well with the Manga. He is too stupid to be taken seroiusly and been given much too screen time to just be a 'filler'. If he is just a tool to help develop the characters around Guts like Roderick then there are other ways to do that too as have been done in the past volumes with other characters. I don't want to see an apostle in every episode but having a sea battle with HIM doesn't really lift Roderick to the level of an awesome NAVAL Commander. To me the the whole purpose of the last 6-7 pages of this episode was that Roderick the "Prince of the Sea" but maybe I am wrong. Maybe there will be a fierce battle in the next episode.

Aazealh said:
and putting aside the fact you've said the same kind of stuff about past episodes ....

I am glad to check the history Aaz. My comments are generally for everyone but you. Dude you are a HUGE Berserk fan... more than I will ever be but it manifests itself in the wrong way. In the end you are right though because my criticism should be sent to Miura and not posted on this forum, as the people, no matter if they belong to the interstice or the abyss, are in the end all just readers. They can only DISCUSS not actually affect any change. So I have taken heed and this is hopefully the last time. In future you won't hear any criticism from me and you can live in your world where Miura is perfect. He has things laid out things perfectly for the next 30 years. He is totally impertinent to any going ons of the 'real' world. Nothing affects him be it movies, books, pop culture, politics, wars. He works night and day without need for rest or family-time and he is obviously faultless.

Lastly, I understood that GNM was being sarcastic in his first post but I can take his criticism and actually look forward to them because he imbues it with humor or sarcasm. Whenever I read your posts, the image that pops up in my mind is ummm of Mozgus. Your personal attacks on anyone who voices criticism or asks a question which in your opinion is just stupid (and I think most of them are to you) just reinforces this image. (And I do realize that for once I am doing the same right now). Why don't you take it as a complement that people like me rely on your's, GNM, CnC, Sparnage, Walter's, and Saiyi, (and others) opinion to get informed. But your attitude in particular just makes me not want to read whatever words of wisdom you have to say and frankly it even drives me away from the Manga itself. Be cool man. Take it easy.

If Sparnage was being sarcastic too then it was too subtle for me.

This post is probably out of place. If you like then please move it another forum or delete it. As long as you all read it one time right now. I am fine with whatever you decide. All apologies Folks!
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
MaN said:
I actually didn't say anything about pacing at all. May be you should read my earlier post again

MaN said:
So over all IMO where the art (graphics/drawing/characters sketches/expressions) has gotten better, the story and pacing has slid down from its best moments.

:schierke: maybe you should
 
CnC said:
:schierke: maybe you should

Sorry Cnc My Bad ... I did say that. But that still does not mean that I am being ungrateful to people who put up stuff on this forum. The discussion of pacing relates to Miura
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
MaN said:
Actually I disagree. I would say that this story line is continuation since the end of Volume 26 otherwise why go back to 22 and not all the way back to volume 1.

Well, it's natural because that's when they started the journey to Elfhelm.

MaN said:
I use the manga itself as the basis. Take any set of 7 volumes and try writing down all that has happened in them. In my opinion, less has happened in the last 7 then probably any other set. Its not necessarily bad and may be 30 years from now when we read Berserk, it won't seem to stand out but for right now, I think it does.

What's your definition of "stuff happening" though? I mean, there's been three major story threads done simultaneously in the individual focus on Guts, Griffith, and Ganishka. Plus, the details within (not to mention that those stories intertwine). To me the series has been crammed with more stuff than ever, and I don't think it's just a matter of perception. Just look at all the places they've gone and all the things they've done. Guts has been on this journey for more page time than he was the classic vengeful Black Swordsman, and there's been even more frequent encounters and battles. Look all the details and extra wrinkles added along the way with magic and whatnot (more has been revealed than we ever knew), I mean, this all makes Golden Age and the Black Swordsman stories (including Lost Children) seem a bit simple and straightforward, doesn't it? Maybe that's why it seems like more was happening, the arcs were smaller and there were more resolutions along the way. Clear beginnings and endings like short stories.

The thing is, this is a huge new story beginning in volume 22, the series basically started over with a new focus after 20+ volumes. And unlike the first 20, we aren't changing gears so much; Black Swordsman, Guts' childhood, his time with the Hawks, his adult relationships, black to the Black Swordsman, and so on. That was all setting the stage, and now that it's been set, things have naturally become more static. So while there's not a lot of major shifts going on (like changing the entire cast of characters =), or obvious resolutions or "endings" as it were (though they're there), I think these volumes are even more cram packed with material. It's like I said about having to wait, and I don't think it'll take 30 years; in another 7 volumes, you may look at these last 7 differently. Like we've been discussing, perspective is always an issue with the recent volumes, no way around it.

Anyway, isn't part of the complaint here that more, as in this pirate battle, and not less is happening? So you're really saying things are too cram packed. =)

MaN said:
Look Aaz. I don't care if the pirate's character was planned in 2000 or in 1960. To me he just doesn't fit in very well with the Manga.

How is he any different than a character like Adon? Does he not fit into the manga either? I mean, that's a pretty arrogant statement to be making in any case.

MaN said:
He is too stupid to be taken seroiusly and been given much too screen time to just be a 'filler'.

Really? Put that in perspective; he's appeared on a total of 20 pages so far. Out of how many in the series? =)

MaN said:
If he is just a tool to help develop the characters around Guts like Roderick then there are other ways to do that too as have been done in the past volumes with other characters.

Yeah, and one of the major ones happens to be the hapless villain. :guts:

MaN said:
Lastly, I understood that GNM was being sarcastic in his first post but I can take his criticism and actually look forward to them because he imbues it with humor or sarcasm.

Quoted for emphasis; I am awesome! :badbone:
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
MaN said:
Sorry Cnc My Bad ... I did say that. But that still does not mean that I am being ungrateful to people who put up stuff on this forum. The discussion of pacing relates to Miura

Regardless of whether or not you take the contributions of others on this forum for granted, your argument over pacing is still invalid. As far as release schedules go there have always been breaks. As far as narrative goes the story and character development is still as present as it always has been.

Sorry, but you're just wrong.
 
Griffith No More! said:
Well, it's natural because that's when they started the journey to Elfhelm.

What's your definition of "stuff happening" though? I mean, there's been three major story threads done simultaneously in the individual focus on Guts, Griffith, and Ganishka. Plus, the details within (not to mention that those stories intertwine). To me the series has been crammed with more stuff than ever, and I don't think it's just a matter of perception. Just look at all the places they've gone and all the things they've done. Guts has been on this journey for more page time than he was the classic vengeful Black Swordsman, and there's been even more frequent encounters and battles. Look all the details and extra wrinkles added along the way with magic and whatnot (more has been revealed than we ever knew), I mean, this all makes Golden Age and the Black Swordsman stories (including Lost Children) seem a bit simple and straightforward, doesn't it? Maybe that's why it seems like more was happening, the arcs were smaller and there were more resolutions along the way. Clear beginnings and endings like short stories.

Okay GNM, so I agree that part of the reason why it seems that not a lot has HAPPENED is because there we haven't been given the satisfaction of a story line coming to a conclusion as many did in the first 20 Volumes. May be that is why seeing the pirate made me roll my eyes :schierke: because I thought that at least we were done with HIS character but I guess we weren't.

How is he any different than a character like Adon? Does he not fit into the manga either?
As far as Adon is concerned if I was an SK member when his character was introduced or discussed then I probably would have said the same thing. Are you telling me that every character that has been introduced is on the same excellence par?

CnC said:
As far as release schedules go there have always been breaks.
Yeah that is probably true and NOT what I meant by 'pacing'

As far as narrative goes the story and character development is still as present as it always has been.
This is where I disagree thought CnC but part of the reason is due to what GNM mentioned. Character development has been not at its apex because he carrying a lot of characters along so he has to make sure that he gives time to everyone without forgetting about anyone. This causes the character development to be uneven and fragmented. There is good and bad to having a complex plot with a plethora of characters
 

SaiyajinNoOuji

I'm still better than you
MaN said:
As far as Adon is concerned if I was an SK member when his character was introduced or discussed then I probably would have said the same thing. Are you telling me that every character that has been introduced is on the same excellence par?

They are just saying MaN that all the characters in this story serve a purpose. The pirate really wasn't that goofy of a character. He handled both Mule and Ishidro pretty damn well with all things considered about those two. The only reason he was defeated is because of the sleeping Azan.

With that, who doesn't like some pirates?! I think its high time that Rodrick proved his skills and in what better way then fighting some pirates? If Gut's and Co. fought different apostles all the god damn time, this would be one of those monster of the bi-weekly release stories. Its good that they still face challenges from normal humans and its good that the other's get to prove themselves with out relying on Gut's all the time, which they do.

So just relax MaN. Go have a beer! :guts:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
MaN said:
As far as Adon is concerned if I was an SK member when his character was introduced or discussed then I probably would have said the same thing. Are you telling me that every character that has been introduced is on the same excellence par?

No, I'm just saying this type of character is not unprecedented. You may not like them (though I don't hear you railing against poor, silly old Adon =), but one can't really say it's a dramatic change from the good old days or anything. Like you say, had you been reading those episodes this way at the time, you might have felt the same way. On the subject, I find the serious moments of Berserk to be a lot more grown up, touching, and unique than they were back in the earlier volumes, but that makes sense as the characters as well as the author have grown and matured. By the same token, the humorous aspects contrast a lot deeper now as well. I swear, sometimes when I'm looking at the shtick between Isidro and Puck I feel like I'm reading a Calvin and Hobbes strip, and that's not a bad thing. =)

But I think Saiya said it best, let's just have a beer and get back to this in seven volumes. :guts:
 
Griffith No More! said:
But I think Saiya said it best, let's just have a beer and get back to this in seven volumes. :guts:

Agreed :carcus: Although I don't drink so I guess I will have some Orange Juice.

I just can't believe that it has already been a year since Guts attacked Daiba. Wow! (MaN pulls out a white hair from his beard and realizes that he is getting old. Speaking of which we need more bearded charcters)
 
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