Episode 295

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Walter said:
Well that'd be kind of redundant since him obtaining this form was kind of an all-or-nothing suicide move to begin with. That being said, I agree wholeheartedly :carcus:

Haha, yeah I suppose it would be a little redundant, but I'm glad you agree. :guts:

Edit: Just realized I didn't say "Thanks, for the scans," so...um...thanks for the scans!
 

handsome rakshas

Thanks Grail!
Thanks a bunch Scanbot! Holy smokes, this shit just got real! My question is how the heck Grif is going to pull this one off without revealing how much of a monster he is himself? May seems like an eternity away with action like this.
 

Uriel

This journey isn't ov--AARGH!
Holy crap!

I had a midterm today and COMPLETELY forgot about the new episode! This instantly makes today win.

I'm throwing on some Susumu "Murder" to mark the event! :ganishka:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Of course, on the day I decide to clean the bathroom before checking SK.net. And wow, even Zodd is shitting his pants.

HawaiianStallion said:
Does Ganishka's new form remind anyone else of the blob that attacked Mozgus's tower? Eerily similar to me.

First thing I thought of in fact from pages 3 and 4 on, from the flesh, the eyes, and everything. Anyway, this is pretty satisfying for me, because I for one was expecting sheer size to make him impressive (a Ganishka staple already), and I like that his potential is infinitely great or small here (even though I championed the idea, I would have been a little let down if he just turned into Diablo). The reincarnation ceremony blob isn't all he reminds me of though, he's basically taking on the characteristics of all the extremely powerful, not necessarily beings, but forces we've seen throughout the series; like the Eclipse environment, Idea, the destabilized Qliphoth, and I don't think we've seen the end of him yet. I like this because it basically implies that he's more than a single being or entity at this point, but an evil force of nature, while totally powerful, unstable and perhaps beyond even his total control. He basically embodies something gone too far now; and we have the two extremes against each other, the ultimate grotesque phallic tentacle Apostle versus Griffith's ultimate perfect being. =)
 

Uriel

This journey isn't ov--AARGH!
BLOODY HELL THAT WAS INTENSE!!

I can't stop flicking between page 21 and 22. It's at times like this that I'm reminded how much I fucking love Berserk. Griffith seems genuinely vexed too -- something I was not expecting to see from this episode. Gah, I'm so fired up right now!

Griff raises a good point. The familiarity we're finding whilst looking upon this new form isn't just coincidence.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith No More! said:
I like this because it basically implies that he's more than a single being or entity at this point, but an evil force of nature, while totally powerful, unstable and perhaps beyond even his total control. He basically embodies something gone too far now
This is a great concept you've picked up on here, Griff. And I think we all felt something of it when we saw the variations and grotesque shapes of Ganishka's face being distorted in his new form.

Speaking loosely here, but it's as if Ganishka's infected the apostle mass with his ego and burst it inside-out, straight out of hell (I'm keeping count, and I've used the phrase twice.) I loved how he feebly tried to form his face with the mass and it just came out distorted and ... evil. Anyway, it's a truly awesome idea, and I look forward to the one-line summation Miura will eventually deliver on the nature of this massive creature.
 

JetBlack

CASULTY FAN
Aazealh said:
Well, he could have lower appendages that would be stuck together closely enough to appear as a single block from afar on page 22.
Well maybe he can move only with that many appendage too!!! (without lowers, like a spider)

HawaiianStallion said:
Does Ganishka's new form remind anyone else of the blob that attacked Mozgus's tower? Eerily similar to me.
That "form" (we don't know yet the whole form) seems to me the blob (so the fire will burn and kill him?)
But it also reminds me of the count's body!
And the last page with circles in the sky, Ok it's absurd, but it seems to me like the angel of earth (1 of the 4 angels of Flora).
Otherwise I think Griffith no more has the real point!

And he is growing from the underground, from the old capital under the tower. So maybe we can see more!

Uh Ganishka went to the abyss and return! We know he is a veeeery strong apostle but Flora said that for most souls go there is with no return... And I'm curious to know how he got that new power.

And finally the eyes of Griffith for the first time are challenging (a bit) and here I see a little of the eyes of Femto!

Sorry for random thoughts but this episode is so full of questions... :ganishka: GO BLOB GO!

Now it's better that I go to sleep
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
JetBlack said:
And the last page with circles in sky, ok is absurd, but seems to me like the angel of earth (1 of the 4 angels of Flora).
What? No.... They aren't Flora's angels... They're the Four Kings of the World . And I really don't see a similarity here, at all.

Uh Ganishka went to the abyss and return! We know he is a veeeery strong apostole but Flora said that for most souls go there is with no return ... and i'm courious to know how he get that new power.
We don't know precisely how deep he went. Just "hell" from what we know.

And Flora said that one can't go very deep in the layers of the astral world and still remain themselves. Clearly Ganishka hasn't returned as himself, if that jargon is even related to his transformation, which we don't know yet.
 
Thanks for the scans!
I had already an idea of what Ganishka would be when I read page 11 of episode 291, but not this monstrous!
So hard to wait. :judo:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
daibalives.jpg
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Everybody should check out the translation Yota posted a few hours ago. It's pretty enlightening stuff and definitely sets the tone for the episodes (and VOLUMES) to follow. Im sure it'll fill all of our heads with food for thought, and here's what's cooking in mine right now:

Daiba - ...How much evil does he have residing within his body...No, the Lord Emperor himself is now Hell itself!! It's overflowing....Hell is overflowing...!!
I wonder about the reliability of Daiba's statement here, if he's right on or just exaggerating. Because now I'm wondering about the longterm implications of this eruption from hell. As Yota speculated in the translation thread, we are wondering if Ganishka has taken on some properties of the Vortex of Souls. If so, that form we see on the horizon on the last page of the episode could just be the beginning.

Which leads me to Sonia's nuclear bomb of a line:
Sonia - It will end. The laws of this world will now end.
This phenomenon has been alluded to several times in the series, most prominently when the Beherit-Apostle sacrificed the world to make "a new world." And since Griffith's reincarnation, it's been said a few times as well, evidenced by the Qliphoth seeping into the Physical world.

The questions of what will constitute "an age of darkness" and "a new world" have been asked for years on the forums. We've had some outlandish/lame ideas in the past: Apostles or God Hand members ruling over countries like evil governors, but it never really felt convincing enough. It wasn't as much of a true paradigm shift. But this ... this is a whole new ballgame, and it feels right.

I think this event, whatever the implications, may set the stage for the next era of the series, and Im not just talking about getting Griffith on a throne. As Griff alluded to in the translation thread, I wonder if this is what Griffith bargained for when he reached for his kingdom, or if he's now gotten a raw deal. Which would be perfectly justified by the full-page look of intensity he gives in this episode. Only time will tell...
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Maybe Ganishka still has some part of him under the ground (could be like some kind of trap if some apostles are getting close to him).

And I was thinking if a few or a lot of the apostles tries to fight him and failed it could just be good for Guts. Meaning getting some of the apostles out of the way for the final fight in the end of the series.

Just throwing that out.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
DetriusXii said:
Anyone else worried about Daiba?

I was checking to see if there was a moment where he was clearly doomed, and while it's hard to see where there's room for him in the end there, if and when he's going to die, I think Miura would make a show of it and display Ganishka's nasty destructiveness, so I think he's somehow okay for now (of course, that could instantly change come May 23rd =).
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith No More! said:
I was checking to see if there was a moment where he was clearly doomed, and while it's hard to see where there's room for him in the end there, if and when he's going to die, I think Miura would make a show of it and display Ganishka's nasty destructiveness, so I think he's somehow okay for now (of course, that could instantly change come May 23rd =).
I don't think it'd serve much of purpose if Daiba survived the initial acid backwash just to be consumed meaninglessly by this new creature. Of course, he did deliver one of the most important lines of the episode before the scene changed :carcus:

Obviously though, Daiba isn't really my main concern at the moment...
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I really enjoyed Ganishka's line about no longer being mist, but actually having a physical form that he could tear Griffith apart with.  And Sonia's line at the end gives Griffith's expression so much more meaning.  This is epic stuff.

Walter said:
As Griff alluded to in the translation thread, I wonder if this is what Griffith bargained for when he reached for his kingdom, or if he's now gotten a raw deal. Which would be perfectly justified by the full-page look of intensity he gives in this episode. Only time will tell...

Interesting idea.  It wouldn't surprise me, since in the end he's one of Idea's key pawns.
 
Thanks for the scans and the translation - AWESOME episode! I kinda expected Ganishka to transform into something resembling a Cthulhu like monstrosity seeing as he'd been to hell and back, but that was still unpredictable for me - as had been said here previously, the form has changed from the first page (huge blob) to something with more clearly delineated contours (on the last page) that looks like a towering leviathan. I'm grateful he hadn't turned into a mere clone of Godzilla or Cloverfield ;)

What's a bit of a letdown is the next issue - May 23rd? That's a long break yet again... *sigh* I guess it's justified though after such a massive beast of a cliffhanger! :)
I haven't really noticed concern on Griffiths face though... the Apostles (even the all-mighty Zodd) were visibly perturbed, but Griffith seems to be neither perturbed nor bewildered... he's just observing the unfolding scene with interest... I wonder how Femto (sounds more bad-ass that Griffith) will kick Ganishka's ass in the coming episodes :)
 
I have a hard time believing that Griffith is going to completely embrace this 'era of darkness' if the events happening now are any indication of how miserable it's going to be. It doesn't make sense that he'd yearn so long for this kingdom if he were only going to let it go to shit. He might be evil, but I think the era of darkness would put too large a stain on his trophy.
 

Draulix

FOOOD!!
This episode was great.
The only thing laking was simply put, where was SkullKnight?
Everyone around Wyndham was there to see Ganishka's new form unveil but it was lacking for me to not see Skull Knight there.
It felt like it was a missing piece by him not being there but none the less, a brilliant episode fo sho.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Everybody should check out the translation Yota posted a few hours ago. It's pretty enlightening stuff and definitely sets the tone for the episodes (and VOLUMES) to follow. Im sure it'll fill all of our heads with food for thought, and here's what's cooking in mine right now:
I wonder about the reliability of Daiba's statement here, if he's right on or just exaggerating. Because now I'm wondering about the longterm implications of this eruption from hell. As Yota speculated in the translation thread, we are wondering if Ganishka has taken on some properties of the Vortex of Souls. If so, that form we see on the horizon on the last page of the episode could just be the beginning.

It depends on if the vortex itself is what Daiba would consider Hell, or if he even knows what he's talking about since even Flora was shifty. One prominent reference to Hell was in ye old lost episode where Griffith asks Idea if they're in Hell, so did Ganish steal something from the vortex, the Abyss, or just something no less deep in the astral realm but more generally; meaning, he touched the bottom, but there was no awkward moment with Idea while he was down there. Or, basically, could he go to those layers without going to those specific "landmarks?"

Walter said:
Which leads me to Sonia's nuclear bomb of a line:This phenomenon has been alluded to several times in the series, most prominently when the Beherit-Apostle sacrificed the world to make "a new world." And since Griffith's reincarnation, it's been said a few times as well, evidenced by the Qliphoth seeping into the Physical world.

And from the beginning, after the rebirth, the change was supposed to be happening, like the gnarly evil forest starting off 22, and seemingly confirmed by Schierke in Qliphoth. I think this is just the natural climax of what began with Griffith's rebirth; everything has happened because of that, and with his direct influence, right down to him telling Ganishka the time and the place they would end it and sending him down this path. It could have been that Griffith did this all by instinct or foreknowledge, but Hell, he could have also straight up planned it from his own expertise and Rakshas' reconnaissance. Probably a little of both; call it fate.

Walter said:
The questions of what will constitute "an age of darkness" and "a new world" have been asked for years on the forums. We've had some outlandish/lame ideas in the past: Apostles or God Hand members ruling over countries like evil governors, but it never really felt convincing enough. It wasn't as much of a true paradigm shift. But this ... this is a whole new ballgame, and it feels right.

I'm not sure what you mean, because those things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive (remember that even the idea of the Apostle Army was once considered too blunt for a reincarnated God Hand =). And as we've discussed, the shift has been going on for a while, I think the best example is Slan's appearance and her revelation that the worlds are coming together, or overlapping, and so God Hand members can basically appear in the real world at will as she did.

Walter said:
I think this event, whatever the implications, may set the stage for the next era of the series, and Im not just talking about getting Griffith on a throne. As Griff alluded to in the translation thread, I wonder if this is what Griffith bargained for when he reached for his kingdom, or if he's now gotten a raw deal. Which would be perfectly justified by the full-page look of intensity he gives in this episode. Only time will tell...

My thinking at the moment is Griffith is in the Emperor's seat, everything is proceeding as he has foreseen. But what that is, we still don't quite know other than him becoming King, that's still his only stated goal as given to Guts, but it obviously seems much greater things will happen in that process (well, not greater to him maybe =). I have two questions if Ganishka is indeed inflating with some evil part of the astral world, "Hell overflowing", first, what exactly does that mean, and second, what's going to happen when that baloon gets popped? For the first question, dropping pregnant women into that incubator would connect them to the astral world, so is Ganishka now basically serving the same function in reverse, bringing the astral world into the real world? Or to put it another way, is Ganishka in a sense working like a reverse vortex, like the ones we've seen the Count, Wyald, and Qliphoth get sucked into, except in this case the astral world is being sucked out? So, if he's destroyed, does that negative energy go with him, or does it all come flowing out like in Ghostbusters?

Ironically, that's kind of how the last unreleased Gutsfield finished off. =)

gutsfield013.gif

The connection being that with Gutsfield's beast destroyed, rather than it evaporating, the evil inside him instead multiplied, flowing more freely and powerfully: UNLEASHED. So, will the new World mean one where the layers of reality are pulled together and much evil is sacrificed through Ganishka (tentacle Jesus dying for our sins! :troll:)... or will it all be released, creating the aforementioned age of darkness? (gee, if I had to bet between those two)

Oh, and choice C. something else.

Draulix said:
This episode was great.
The only thing laking was simply put, where was SkullKnight?
Everyone around Wyndalm was there to see Ganishka's new form unvail but it was lacking for me to not see Skull Knight there.
It felt like it was a missing piece by him not being there but none the less, a brilliant episode fo sho.

Well, considering Skull Knight hasn't availed himself to either Ganishka or Griffith, I don't think anything is lacking due to his absence. If anything, his presence would be a welcome surprise, as it always is.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith No More! said:
I think this is just the natural climax of what began with Griffith's rebirth; everything has happened because of that, and with his direct influence, right down to him telling Ganishka the time and the place they would end it and sending him down this path.
Well we're not really at odds on this point. But we're apparently talking on two different levels about what's happening. Independant of Griffith's plans in ascending the throne, all this world merging and astral meddling has come to a head with this otherworldly creature thrusting itself on the country's capital. Pretty awesome, thematically, visually and conceptually really. The "disappointed" people can just plain fuck off, honestly.

Anyway, based on Sonia's line, I don't think it's going to just be a cakewalk to clean up Wyndham of the Ganishka-goo. Hell has opened up. What's the longterm implication of that, and is that specifically the age of darkness that was alluded to? That's all I'm getting at here.

I have two questions if Ganishka is indeed inflating with some evil part of the astral world, "Hell overflowing", first, what exactly does that mean, and second, what's going to happen when that balloon gets popped?
We're stumped on the same questions =).

For the first question, dropping pregnant women into that incubator would connect them to the astral world, so is Ganishka now basically serving the same function in reverse, bringing the astral world into the real world? Or to put it another way, is Ganishka in a sense working like a reverse vortex, like the ones we've seen the Count, Wyald, and Qliphoth get sucked into, except in this case the astral world is being sucked out?
Well, anything in the incubator is connected to the astral world. Unlike a helpless human female, I think Ganishka has infested the astral world with his presence, the incubator "popped" and out spilled physical hell. Like we talked about in the chatroom, I think he's exerting himself unnaturally on the vortex (if we can even call it that right now). Once his influence fades... it won't have to be structured in a fixed form, and perhaps it'll keep growing.

So, if he's destroyed, does all that negative energy go with him, or does it all come flowing out like in Ghostbusters?
I'm stumped here too.

The connection being that with Gutsfield's beast destroyed, rather than it evaporating, the evil inside him instead multiplied, flowing more freely and powerfully: UNLEASHED. So, will the new World mean one where the layers of reality are pulled together and much evil is sacrificed through Ganishka (tentacle Jesus dying for our sins! :troll:)... or will it all be released, creating the aforementioned age of darkness.
Well the layers are already pulled together relative to how things were before, but no, I don't think evil could ever be exhausted in this fashion. Like I said in the chatroom tonight, I think Griffith could be a monkey wrench for this scenario, since he's the "Absolute One" in the world. Just touching this slag of hell could cause some unforeseen reaction to the substance.

And I think Skull Knight would be a little out of place here, but man, what a way to one-up the scenario here for him to leap out of nowhere, warding Griffith away from the hell goo. After all, he stands against evil :badbone:
 
S

smoke

Guest
This is one of those episodes that only Berserk can deliver. The kind of moment where you get goosebumps and you take a deep breath along with the characters.

Awesome.
 
smoke said:
This is one of those episodes that only Berserk can deliver. The kind of moment where you get goosebumps and you take a deep breath along with the characters.

Awesome.

This was really one hell of an episode! I was just expecting a small follow up with Raban and Owen. Instead we get... Shadow of the Colossus Ganishka?! :serpico: Between this and the eventual arrival at Elfhelm... I don't know how I will survive a month's wait.
 
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