As requested by Miura, in the interview on the fourth DVD of Berserk, here's my opinion on the Berserk universe. I encourage all of you to do your own thoughts.
The size and tenaciousness of this community is a testament to the success of Berserk's fantasy world. But then, we do get a few complainers every now and then. These are always common, especially when sudden turns are made in the percieved universe. Most recently, those would be the introduction of the magical equipment such as the fire dagger, wind cape, silver chain mail etc.
I think most of the negative feedback about these magical elements are from an assumed perspective about what the Berserk universe really is. Most of us newcomers to the series (those that were introduced to the series through the anime, myself included) weren't there for the original release of volumes 1-3, which introduce Puck, a rather irrefutable magical element in an otherwise low-fantasy setting. By the time we newcomers discovered Puck, we were already too enthralled in the story and universe to refute it as "TOO FANTASY".
But recently, I've considered that perhaps Miura intended Guts' progression into the depths of the astral world and thus, more fantasy elements, as a parallel to the audience's own understanding of Berserk's fantasy universe. Consider how gradually we are fantasy elements. Volumes 1-3 thrust you into a low-fantasy setting, then 4-13 have a few, scattered elements, letting you know its still a low-fantasy/horror setting. Then from 13 on, we are exposed to a myriad of different fantasy elements that all really DO fit into the universe Miura has created.
Despite all of my reasoning, I was only ho-hum about the Berserk universe until Flora's explanation of the depths of it, and how the Astral planes fit into it all. Miura has added a whole other third to the universe we already knew about and it doesnt just complement whats already there... its an impressive element by itself.
As for how Miura stands against sci-fi/fantasy giants like Burton and Raimi well . . . I think Miura has gradually built a universe that topples all of their creations in one fell swoop (that is, only one series). Just look at the hundreds of discussions that are possible from the content within Berserk.
Thanks Kentarou Miura, and sorry about the scans.
-Walter
Actually I kind of have a question. What do Westerners think of thisfantasy world created by an Oriental? Many of us Orientals feel that the fantasy worlds created in Hollywood... or believed in by Westerners are more genuine fantasy worlds. And I think Berserk is strongly influenced by Western culture. I'm trying to create something from what I learned from the West. So I'm curious about what people in the West think of Berserk. That's my question to the fans in the U.S. I hope they like it.
The size and tenaciousness of this community is a testament to the success of Berserk's fantasy world. But then, we do get a few complainers every now and then. These are always common, especially when sudden turns are made in the percieved universe. Most recently, those would be the introduction of the magical equipment such as the fire dagger, wind cape, silver chain mail etc.
I think most of the negative feedback about these magical elements are from an assumed perspective about what the Berserk universe really is. Most of us newcomers to the series (those that were introduced to the series through the anime, myself included) weren't there for the original release of volumes 1-3, which introduce Puck, a rather irrefutable magical element in an otherwise low-fantasy setting. By the time we newcomers discovered Puck, we were already too enthralled in the story and universe to refute it as "TOO FANTASY".
But recently, I've considered that perhaps Miura intended Guts' progression into the depths of the astral world and thus, more fantasy elements, as a parallel to the audience's own understanding of Berserk's fantasy universe. Consider how gradually we are fantasy elements. Volumes 1-3 thrust you into a low-fantasy setting, then 4-13 have a few, scattered elements, letting you know its still a low-fantasy/horror setting. Then from 13 on, we are exposed to a myriad of different fantasy elements that all really DO fit into the universe Miura has created.
Despite all of my reasoning, I was only ho-hum about the Berserk universe until Flora's explanation of the depths of it, and how the Astral planes fit into it all. Miura has added a whole other third to the universe we already knew about and it doesnt just complement whats already there... its an impressive element by itself.
As for how Miura stands against sci-fi/fantasy giants like Burton and Raimi well . . . I think Miura has gradually built a universe that topples all of their creations in one fell swoop (that is, only one series). Just look at the hundreds of discussions that are possible from the content within Berserk.
Thanks Kentarou Miura, and sorry about the scans.
-Walter