Episode 334

I always wondered if Miura was going to tackle the theme of nations? We know that people from all over the world are coming to join Falconia being that it is the one and only safe haven from monsters. People are being ejected from their homes and lives to go live in the big city. Not everyone is going to like this...or at least I think they won't? What if Griffith is trying to control everyone by simply making everyone immigrate to his massive kingdom. Using the monsters as an excuse. Heck, he might even be controlling some of those monsters to attack villages and cities in order to force them to take refuge in Falconia. Falconia might simply be a very nice place that keeps the population blind and in check. People are happy and do not ask questions.

Guts and his crew might eventually become part of a rebel alliance brought together by a bunch of other nations who do not wish to leave their homes in order to live in some other far off land. A bunch of nations coming together in order to fight back the monsters and Griffith's all encompassing empire.

This to me seems possible because as we all know, Guts and his small gang cannot defeat Griffith as he is now. They will need an alliance of some sort. Elf Island being that first alliance, then moving on to other places in the world and rallying those who wish to fight for their independence, land, and country. Guts has become a leader and role model, and I could imagine him becoming that figurehead that everyone follows...kind of like how Griffith was back in the Golden Age Arc.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
Missing all of them, actually.

I meant that if there was 4 godhand at that time (which I'm not supporting that theory at all) we would have 4 members of the godhand that we were not introduced already. (which would be pointless)

but yes you're right indeed.

Edit : on further reading of your answer, you're saying exactly what I was trying to say. Stop reading your answers too fast Mr Hurley! :serpico:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
IcePuck said:
Someone's probably mentioned this before, but Falconia draws some heavy inspiration from New Jerusalem, God's supercity in the book of revelation. There are similar numeorological motifs, the way the city appears, the tree of life, etc.

Do you have any specific examples you could cite, by any chance? I'm not big on numerology.

IcePuck said:
To give an idea, Satan brands people on the arm or forehead. God also brands people on the forehead.

Nothing of the sort has happened in Falconia so far though.

IronBerserk said:
I always wondered if Miura was going to tackle the theme of nations? We know that people from all over the world are coming to join Falconia being that it is the one and only safe haven from monsters.

People from all over the country (Midland) as far as we know, not all over the world. Neighboring countries might also come around to some extent, but the entire world population? I think that'd be a bit much, even for Falconia.

IronBerserk said:
What if Griffith is trying to control everyone by simply making everyone immigrate to his massive kingdom. Using the monsters as an excuse.

That certainly seems to be part of the plan, although Falconia is a massive city, not a kingdom. At this point I wonder if "Midland" really means anything anymore, or if it's all becoming a wilderness.
 
IronBerserk said:
I always wondered if Miura was going to tackle the theme of nations? We know that people from all over the world are coming to join Falconia being that it is the one and only safe haven from monsters. People are being ejected from their homes and lives to go live in the big city. Not everyone is going to like this...or at least I think they won't? What if Griffith is trying to control everyone by simply making everyone immigrate to his massive kingdom. Using the monsters as an excuse. Heck, he might even be controlling some of those monsters to attack villages and cities in order to force them to take refuge in Falconia. Falconia might simply be a very nice place that keeps the population blind and in check. People are happy and do not ask questions.

I don't think Griffith is controlling in any way what is happening in the world. However, this was ultimately his goal. You know: an utopia is an utopia because there is already the opposite. Humanity wanted that utopia, so Griffith has given it to them by unleashing the apocalypse on Earth. Ironic, don't you think? Besides, I'm almost sure that this is only the beggining of Griffith's kingdom. Falconia can be seen as the capital of his new world. Of course many people and nations won't like the idea of leaving their homes... But what if paradise knocks your door? :griffnotevil:

IronBerserk said:
Guts and his crew might eventually become part of a rebel alliance brought together by a bunch of other nations who do not wish to leave their homes in order to live in some other far off land. A bunch of nations coming together in order to fight back the monsters and Griffith's all encompassing empire.

This to me seems possible because as we all know, Guts and his small gang cannot defeat Griffith as he is now. They will need an alliance of some sort. Elf Island being that first alliance, then moving on to other places in the world and rallying those who wish to fight for their independence, land, and country. Guts has become a leader and role model, and I could imagine him becoming that figurehead that everyone follows...kind of like how Griffith was back in the Golden Age Arc.

I can hardly imagine an alliance against Falconia in the sort term. Honestly, the whole concept is almost perfect: an idillic city where the social status has no mean anymore (or that is what it seems for now) and where people can be totally safe against the madness out there. But, what about the apostles? What about not training and teaching people about the world? Sure, people like Guts' party, Elfhelm, even Rickert... people who know Griffith's true nature will oppose to him. But I think we will have to wait long time before we see a Free Will Revolution.
 
Tripas said:
I don't think Griffith is controlling in any way what is happening in the world. However, this was ultimately his goal. You know: an utopia is an utopia because there is already the opposite. Humanity wanted that utopia, so Griffith has given it to them by unleashing the apocalypse on Earth. Ironic, don't you think? Besides, I'm almost sure that this is only the beggining of Griffith's kingdom. Falconia can be seen as the capital of his new world. Of course many people and nations won't like the idea of leaving their homes... But what if paradise knocks your door? :griffnotevil:

Oh yes definitely won't be easy to refuse a paradise looking Falconia. That's all part of the indoctrination Griffith is implementing. He ain't gonna make it easy :p

Tripas said:
I can hardly imagine an alliance against Falconia in the sort term. Honestly, the whole concept is almost perfect: an idillic city where the social status has no mean anymore (or that is what it seems for now) and where people can be totally safe against the madness out there. But, what about the apostles? What about not training and teaching people about the world? Sure, people like Guts' party, Elfhelm, even Rickert... people who know Griffith's true nature will oppose to him. But I think we will have to wait long time before we see a Free Will Revolution.

Those who have not seen Griffith's actions of so called "miracles" will not easily be swayed to join Griffith's Falconia city. There is still a chance and possibility of Guts rallying those people. I'm also pretty sure that some others aren't as easily swayed to follow the popular consciousness. Remember the people who survived the second Eclipse because they didn't rely on Mozgus? Something similar might happen here. Refusing to rely on Griffith and fighting for their homes.

People from all over the country (Midland) as far as we know, not all over the world. Neighboring countries might also come around to some extent, but the entire world population? I think that'd be a bit much, even for Falconia.

Not sure but are the Kushan people part of the country/kingdom of Midland? If not then that's two countries in this world that we know of that are now in Falconia, not just Midland
 
I can't wait to see what dark secret lies at the heart of Falconia and how Griffith keeps his horde of demons in check during 'peacetime'. Will Rickert have a similar revelation to Silat when he witnessed Ganishka's artificial Beherit? Everything is building up to some ungodly horror behind the idyllic facade of Griffith's perfect world. Unless, it turns out to be something decidedly insidious than the kind of stuff Ganishka was into.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Gummyskull said:
I'm on it.

EDIT: Skull Knight prefers box wine. :badbone:

Thanks so much for this :ubik:

Gurifisu said:
Well, the legends do say that 4-5(?) angels descended. If the angels are indeed the Godhand then I have my doubts that they were all created on that day.

Yes, I'm quite familiar with the legend... But considering the possibility of a previous set of God Hand members opens a can of worms that doesn't align with anything else in the series. This whole debacle has been the source of countless debates on this forum over the past 15 years, and I'm familiar with all variations of it. Including the possibility that the Four Kings were protecting the city in vain as it was being destroyed and its inhabitants branded, which was interpreted differently by observers. A previous God Hand is among the hypotheses that makes the least sense to me.

But nothing I've read or even considered myself is truly convincing, and I'm sure that's by design. The legend is likely misleading (does Gaiseric/The Skull Knight really strike you as the kind of ruler who would live in decadence and work his people to death, as the legend says?), and we're missing critical components to complete the puzzle. Even with all the revelations since Volume 10, we're still in limbo on this one. And that likely won't change until SK talks.

IcePuck said:
Reading that fever dream of a book with Berserk in mind offers some pretty tantalizing ideas of what kind of things COULD happen,

But even if you can identify similar elements, Miura never borrows something whole cloth. He takes different elements of different things and stitches them together to support his own unique creations. It's a fool's errand to try and isolate one source and extrapolate the future from it.

IronBerserk said:
I always wondered if Miura was going to tackle the theme of nations? We know that people from all over the world are coming to join Falconia being that it is the one and only safe haven from monsters. People are being ejected from their homes and lives to go live in the big city. Not everyone is going to like this...or at least I think they won't?

I don't think nations really matter anymore. The sudden appearance of dangerous magical creatures, with no realistic defenses against them, would disrupt all societies across the planet. That being said, I do foresee alternative civilizations cropping up (Silat would be a good leader, for example), and it will be interesting to see how they're able to survive in this new world. But people clinging to the heritage of their nations? I sincerely doubt it.

Aazealh said:
That certainly seems to be part of the plan, although Falconia is a massive city, not a kingdom. At this point I wonder if "Midland" really means anything anymore, or if it's all becoming a wilderness.

It's a different scenario, but I'm reminded of what Guts was thinking when he first heard of the Kushan invasion: "Midland is... disappearing?"

IronBerserk said:
Not sure but are the Kushan people part of the country/kingdom of Midland? If not then that's two countries in this world that we know of that are now in Falconia, not just Midland

Kushans aren't Midlanders, no. The occupying force led by Ganishka came from the eastern lands, far beyond Midland's borders. And only some remaining Kushan forces are living in Falconia, not the entire empire.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Walter said:
"

Kushans aren't Midlanders, no. The occupying force led by Ganishka came from the eastern lands, far beyond Midland's borders. And only some remaining Kushan forces are living in Falconia, not the entire empire.

speaking of the empire of the kushan, I wonder if we're gonna see more of that country/area. not that I see any purpose for the story but I'm curious about it now.
 
Kushans aren't Midlanders, no. The occupying force led by Ganishka came from the eastern lands, far beyond Midland's borders. And only some remaining Kushan forces are living in Falconia, not the entire empire.

Yeah perfect, that's what I thought. And I meant two countries in the sense that we know of two countries in the world of Berserk that have some of there people residing in Falconia, obviously not the entire population/empire of the Kushan is there...well not yet anyways :p Should be interesting to see in what kind of way people on the outside of Falconia try to survive. Falconia can't possibly accommodate everyone? The city would have to be massive. Eventual expansion is a possibility though. So many questions...CAN'T...HOLD...IN...THE...EXCITEMENT! :ubik:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
IronBerserk said:
I meant two countries in the sense that we know of two countries in the world of Berserk that have some of there people residing in Falconia

You're forgetting that the Falconian landing party was a grab bag of people consisting of nearly every country on the continent, so it's pretty futile to start counting on your hands the number of countries represented inside the walls. Probably someone from everywhere. Remember, the army Griffith led to Wyndham consisted of his own forces, which were amassed from their campaign travels, in addition to Holy See Alliance troops gathered at Vritannis.

Falconia can't possibly accommodate everyone? The city would have to be massive.

Everyone? No. Only the chosen. :femto:
 
Gummyskull said:
I'm on it.

EDIT: Skull Knight prefers box wine. :badbone:
2hoigk4.jpg

Thats great XD
 
That's great, Gummyskull, especially a drunk Puck and the tissue box design.

Just picked up my YA issue, gonna read up and listen to the podcast after. Love the bonus insert.

I forgot to mention this before but if anyone would like me to pick up an extra copy of YA and ship it to them, I wouldn't mind helping out. Send me a PM and we can discuss logistics so we do not flood this thread.
 
Walter said:
You're forgetting that the Falconian landing party was a grab bag of people consisting of nearly every country on the continent, so it's pretty futile to start counting on your hands the number of countries represented inside the walls. Probably someone from everywhere. Remember, the army Griffith led to Wyndham consisted of his own forces, which were amassed from their campaign travels, in addition to Holy See Alliance troops gathered at Vritannis.

Yes your right, thanks for reminding me. Though it would still be nice to know of other countries that aren't Midland and the Kushan Empire :p

Walter said:
Everyone? No. Only the chosen. :femto:

:magni:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
IronBerserk said:
Yes your right, thanks for reminding me. Though it would still be nice to know of other countries that aren't Midland and the Kushan Empire :p

You mean other than all these countries that we've known about since volume 28 and beyond?

holyseealliance.jpg


You can read a little more on each in the Berserk Encyclopedia's Glossary. Or just flip to Episode 245.
 
Aazealh said:
Do you have any specific examples you could cite, by any chance? I'm not big on numerology.

Me neither. I haven't counted all the pillars in Falconia, or anything. :ganishka: (I doubt(/hope for the sake of Miura's sanity) that they would match anything)

The twelve gates in Falconia are the obvious one, which I feel safe to say is not a coincidence:

Berserk_c307_007.jpg


New Jerusalem likewise has 12 gates, although not placed in the same way. Back when I looked into it, I'm sure there was more, but I might have been grasping since I can't seem to think of anything now. I also thought the 12 wings on the orb thingy was significant, but then in the latest episode, the orb thingies only have 10 wings. Busted!

The old capital (Gaiseric's Wyndham/Jerusalem) is replaced by a new, similar but much more massive capital (Falconia/New Jerusalem).

The Ganishka tree is the tree of life, and double-trunked like described in the BOR. More than specifics, though, it's just the size, grandeur, and role of the place as refuge for the faithful.

Nothing of the sort has happened in Falconia so far though.

It's just eerily similar to the branding process of Berserk, and I figured the first part might correspond to Gaiseric's capital, 1000 years ago; hence the corpses with brands on their foreheads. (Satan is mentioned as getting sealed for 1000 years, so the timeline would make sense too)

I meant to say it's interesting to note the similarities and refrain from speculating, but goddammit, I can't resist: The people living in Falconia will eventually have to get branded, or banished from the city. Meanwhile, the other members of the godhand will actively seek to make the outside world as miserable a place as possible. (like the horsemen of the apocalypse, who are each given a portion of the earth to destroy)

Walter said:
But even if you can identify similar elements, Miura never borrows something whole cloth. He takes different elements of different things and stitches them together to support his own unique creations. It's a fool's errand to try and isolate one source and extrapolate the future from it.

I whole-heartedly agree. Spiritual beliefs are close to the heart of Berserk, and the biblical connections seem pretty thick at the moment, though, so I think there's a fair chance of actually being able to guess broad events correctly, or at least get an idea. Specifics, though, never.
 

Gurifisu

Sweet dreams, dear child of god.
yeah but the thing is, we don't know if the 4/5 angels were god hand or not. And considering the explanation in the eclipse on how every member of the godhand appears at 216 years. I don't think they were all created that day. We'd be missing a few members if that was the case.

Well, I'm assuming the godhand are either killed, or cannibalized by their peers. I never assumed the godhand never died. It's also possible that they reincarnate by attracting similar vessels.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
IcePuck said:
Me neither. I haven't counted all the pillars in Falconia, or anything. :ganishka: (I doubt(/hope for the sake of Miura's sanity) that they would match anything)

The twelve gates in Falconia are the obvious one, which I feel safe to say is not a coincidence:

You mean the archs in the distance on the stairs that go up to the inner wall, also counting the outer wall gate and the one we see in the middle? I think it's a stretch, since that picture is just an overhead shot, and there's most likely at least one other "gate" beyond that inner wall anyway (since there's a second inner wall). Plus you like said it doesn't fit the description of the gates of New Jerusalem anyway.

IcePuck said:
The old capital (Gaiseric's Wyndham/Jerusalem) is replaced by a new, similar but much more massive capital (Falconia/New Jerusalem).

Yeah only that's not really how it works. The old city was destroyed, then a new one was built. Then the new one, having become old, was destroyed and the original one was restored, but changed. That's quite a bit more complicated than just "Old city > New city". Furthermore, given that the city's architecture is very clearly of Greco-Roman influence, I'm not sure a comparison to Jerusalem is appropriate.

IcePuck said:
The Ganishka tree is the tree of life, and double-trunked like described in the BOR.

The concept of a world-tree is common in a lot of myths from all around the world though.

IcePuck said:
It's just eerily similar to the branding process of Berserk

Is it really? I'd still like to see the precise text for that, especially how it relates to sacrifice like it does in Berserk. Anyway, the two most iconic brands in Berserk are Guts' and Casca's and they're on the neck and breast, respectively.

IcePuck said:
(Satan is mentioned as getting sealed for 1000 years, so the timeline would make sense too)

Actually I'm not sure how that would make sense, given that no one was bound and cast in the pit in this case, at least as far as we know. A city was destroyed, and around a thousand years later it was brought back under a new master.

IcePuck said:
I meant to say it's interesting to note the similarities and refrain from speculating, but goddammit, I can't resist: The people living in Falconia will eventually have to get branded, or banished from the city. Meanwhile, the other members of the godhand will actively seek to make the outside world as miserable a place as possible. (like the horsemen of the apocalypse, who are each given a portion of the earth to destroy)

That's not too outlandish. I'm just curious though: what purpose would their branding serve?

IcePuck said:
Spiritual beliefs are close to the heart of Berserk

I wouldn't say that. Religion is touched upon as a way to add depth to the world, and spirituality does have an important place, but in the literal sense that the world of Berserk has actual spirits in it as well as other magical beings.

Gurifisu said:
Well, I'm assuming the godhand are either killed, or cannibalized by their peers. I never assumed the godhand never died. It's also possible that they reincarnate by attracting similar vessels.

Wasn't the case when Femto was born, though.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
The Miura comment this time was congratulating fellow mangaka and pal Chika Umino (author of March Comes Like a Lion) on reaching 100 episodes and winning the Tezuka Cultural Prize last month. Their works are both featured on the bookmarks included in the latest Young Animal (as promised, click for an image of them).

Here's the image of the comment which had a surprise color image of Griffith in it. Quality is bad because it's printed small and not in color. But this could be from an upcoming color page in the next episode perhaps.

miura-comment YA082014.jpg


So stern. Makes me even more excited about his meeting with Rickert. :magni:
 
Great to see Luca and her sistas, again. She was one of my favourite minor characters to the point that part of me wishes that she had accompanied Guts & co on their quest at the expense of say... Farnese, who hasn't grown on me.

I enjoyed Luca so much. She is probably the most positively potrayed character in that whole arc. Maybe the manga. I would have loved for her to have joined Guts party (but not at the expense of Farnese, as an addition).

In any of those panels was Nina present at all? I am wondering if she had succumbed to her ailment. From what I remember she was suffering from some kind of sexually transmitted desease wasn't she, and she was worried she was going to die soon?
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Patou244 said:
In any of those panels was Nina present at all? I am wondering if she had succumbed to her ailment. From what I remember she was suffering from some kind of sexually transmitted desease wasn't she, and she was worried she was going to die soon?

yes last time we saw her she was leaving Lucas's group with Joachim. They both were sick if I'm not wrong. (well at least Nina was) whether they are alive or dead we don't know for the moment. I don't think she will be in Falconia.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
What are your expectations for that giant, mysterious dome that's in the palace region?

falconia-dome3.jpg


Of course, we first saw it back in 307, and thanks to some cleverly placed clouds, I'm pretty sure it's actually translucent as I explained in this post from 2009.

Since it's presumably in the palace area, where Griffith likely makes his throne room, I think it'd be exciting if the dome actually IS the shell of his throne room. Consider, it's the highest and most visible point in the city, and to look up at any time and know that Griffith is in there, watching over everything LIKE A FALCON, would be quite cool and eerie. Plus, imagine the view he'd (and potentially we'd) have of the great city from that perspective.

falconia-orb.jpg


I also believe this motif, seen around the whole city, is related to the dome/orb.

All will be answered soon, so no need to go too hardcore. What do you guys think is inside that huge thing?
 
Walter said:
What are your expectations for that giant, mysterious dome that's in the palace region?

falconia-dome3.jpg


Of course, we first saw it back in 307, and thanks to some cleverly placed clouds, I'm pretty sure it's actually translucent as I explained in this post from 2009.

Since it's presumably in the palace area, where Griffith likely makes his throne room, I think it'd be exciting if the dome actually IS the shell of his throne room. Consider, it's the highest and most visible point in the city, and to look up at any time and know that Griffith is in there, watching over everything LIKE A FALCON, would be quite cool and eerie. Plus, imagine the view he'd (and potentially we'd) have of the great city from that perspective.

All will be answered soon, so no need to go too hardcore. What do you guys think is inside that huge thing?

I think it's like you said, it's probably the throne room, or at the very least houses the throne room/his royal chamber/what-have you. To piggy back off of this topic, I'm curious as to exactly WHAT that dome actually is. What is it made of? Does it serve as more than an amazing look-out for Griffith? Does it maybe have supernatural properties to it, similar to Flora's Mansion?

And I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but what I'm hoping for once we make it to where Griffith is, is to see the god-hand members in human form with him. I'm not sure if that's likely, but that doesn't change the fact that I'd love to see it :guts:
 
Walter said:
What are your expectations for that giant, mysterious dome that's in the palace region?
That's no palace, that's Voids brain :O

Jokes aside, it's going to be undoubtedly elegant and marvelous, but I do believe we're going to see something very sinister there. Falconia's just too perfect on the outside I feel. We're going to learn a lot in that place, that's for sure.
 

Mammon

Mangoku army
Gummyskull said:
I'm on it.

EDIT: Skull Knight prefers box wine. :badbone:
2hoigk4.jpg

I'm dying :ganishka: Thanks you so much.

IncantatioN said:
That's great, Gummyskull, especially a drunk Puck and the tissue box design.

The tissue box design? What are you... :???: oh! That's a box of wine (not sure how you call it in English, "box wine" I guess like Gummyskull said). But now that you mention it, the... thing you use to get the wine out (or "robinet" in French. When I tried to google trans it, it gave me "cock". So since I'm not sure if it's the right translation, I'm gonna phrase it that way ) sort off looks like a tissue.

And to make sure my post is not a total waste:
From Walter's post:
falconia-orb.jpg

I also believe this motif, seen around the whole city, is related to the dome/orb.
Well when I saw this motif, I immediately counted the pairs of wings, 5, like the god hands, or "angels from the legend" (they look more like angel wings than... say Slan's, or Dragons, etc... ), so yay for that theory?
I'm probably reaching...
 

SaiyajinNoOuji

I'm still better than you
Haha, you all are expecting for Skullknight to spill the beans? Have you all forgotten that when he made his getaway that he had a stowaway? :rakshas:

If anything he will try to spill the beans and then get whacked by Rahkshas! :casca:
 
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