Episode 350

Aazealh

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Blade said:
If Femto steps out of the Dream, I am so done! :rakshas:

Haha nah, I don't think it'll be like that. More likely the adversarial part of her mind, i.e. what created and controls the dream, will be what poses a threat. Same way the flying creatures have attacked them until now, but ramped up to the max.

By the way, CDJapan has already shipped my copy of Young Animal! Now that is fast.
 
Blade said:
If Femto steps out of the Dream, I am so done! :rakshas:
Wouldn't be the first time he's entered people's dreams. And he has a vested interest in keeping Casca insane.

One thing that's Interesting, we haven't seen any memories of Griffiths downfall yet, i hope their meeting at the tower cell, crippled Griffihs attempted rape of Casca and the heartfelt speech she gives to Guts afterwards will be shown when they reach the peak.
 

Aazealh

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The Korean scans are out.

A lot of memories are shown and not always in chronological order. Most of the Golden Age arc's key moments, though not all by far. What I find interesting is how varied the monsters are... and how fitting they are for the scenery. Very reminiscent of the Eclipse. There's a bunch of tentacled creatures down a cliff that eerily remind me of Slan for example. And I also love how Schierke & Farnese deal with them, using dream versions of real-life spells.

Lastly, there's quite a bit of development regarding how Farnese feels about Guts & Casca.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
That moment in the coffin. Very cute! There is a lot of interesting stuff in this one.
the golems vs the "spiders" is pretty neat. Reminds me of the weird spiders Inside the sea god. Lots and lots of beautiful oldschool moments

It really a pleasant episode for the eye! Thank again Aaz. Can't wait for your summary. As always it's very much appreciated. A ore-thx to Puella too of course. :ubik:

Ps: correct me if I'm wrong but
is that the shape of the "yin yan" apostle we see in the background just before the splash page with the montage?
 

Aazealh

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jackson_hurley said:
the golems vs the "spiders" is pretty neat. Reminds me of the weird spiders Inside the sea god.

I had the same thought, the design is close.

jackson_hurley said:
Ps: correct me if I'm wrong but is that the shape of the "yin yan" apostle we see in the background just before the splash page with the montage?

I don't think it's meant to be the exact same thing, but yes it's similar to it. Close enough that I don't think it's a coincidence, same with the Slan-like creatures I mentioned above.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
I don't think it's meant to be the exact same thing, but yes it's similar to it. Close enough that I don't think it's a coincidence, same with the Slan-like creatures I mentioned above.

Yeah I had that feeling too for the Slanish shapes. Either way, it's pretty cool and like you said I'm pretty sure it's not a coincidence.

ps: My copy got shipped too! Though I still did not get the last one yet. :sad: This is what happens when you live far far away!
 

Aazealh

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Here's a rough translation based on the Korean scans, courtesy of puella. Be warned that it may contain some inaccuracies.

Page 1

Farnese: Teacher, look over there!
Farnese: A sword and a helmet
Schierke: It seems so

Farnese: A boy?
Schierke: Who is he?

Page 2

Farnese: ...Ah, this is Guts when he was young?
Farnese: He's fighting...
Farnese: Why?

Farnese: The feeling transferred to me...
Farnese: Casca's strong fighting spirit

Casca: I'm going to die!

Page 3

Farnese: The doll is again...
Schierke: This is the way, no doubt...

Schierke: Let's continue to put the fragments together at this pace
Farnese: Yes! Let's do your best, dog-Guts

Page 4

Schierke: This is...
Farnese: A battle flag

Farnese: A battle...!?
Farnese: As expected, Casca was a warrior

Farnese: What is he? A shark-knight? Casca is annoyed.

Farnese: She's filled with a sense of solidarity with her comrades, as well as feelings of fulfillment and elevation that she accomplished her responsabilities

Page 5

Farnese: A sword again
Farnese: This is a different one

Griffith: "Do you think you're chosen by god just because you were born a noble?"
Griffith: "If you have something to protect, take the sword"

Farnese: Ah, this feeling, it's as if I got hit on the head (it's overwhelming)
Farnese: It's similar to what I conceive towards Guts

Farnese: Now there's some change in Casca

Page 6

Farnese: What are they? Plants?
Farnese: Actually, they look like insects

Farnese: As expected...
Schierke: They're going to attack us

Schierke: This is our chance

Page 7

Farnese: A chandelier is coming down from the sky
Schierke: It's a dream indeed

Farnese: A banquet?
Schierke: An enormous number of people

"Knights of the White Phoenix... Griffith, the White Phoenix General"

Farnese: Embarrassment? A burst of joy? A moment of glory with her comrades.
Farnese: ...But what's this one? A kind of anxiety and dreariness that she can't shake?
Farnese: Now that person has fallen?
Schierke: She felt a very strong agitation

Page 8

Farnese: A cave?

Farnese: Impatience? Anger and jealousy towards Guts?

Farnese: Why...
Farnese: ...This feeling is...

Page 9

Schierke: ...A broken sword
Farnese: The two are going to fight

Guts: Bye
Casca: Griffith...
Casca: G...
Casca: Guts...

Farnese: That feeling of powerlessness that she can't intervene between the two. That heartrending and heartbreaking feeling... And looking at his back... this deep feeling... as expected...

Page 10

Schierke: Hairballs?
Farnese: Yikes... horrible...
Schierke: It's probable that Casca doesn't accept this well physiologically

Schierke: Quick, come out, Lady of the Depths

Page 11

Farnese: A waterfall coming from the air?
Farnese: We're not surprised anymore no matter what we see

Farnese: These two are fighting again

Page 12-13

Farnese: Teacher, you shouldn't see this
Schierke: Ahh, but it could be useful for future reference...!

Farnese: As I expected, yeah, they were...
Farnese: No, this is what I knew from the beginning

Page 14

Farnese: An exhuberant feeling...
Farnese: Love, melancholy
Farnese: Yes, this overwhelming feeling, from all her heart, is Casca's mind...
Farnese: Her own...

Page 15

Schierke's face... She also felt it

Schierke: There's still a long way to go...
Schierke: Let's go

In the vast crepuscular darkness, our journey goes on

Page 18-19

Farnese: One month... Maybe one year? Or it feels like it's not even been one day.
Farnese: How long has it been?

Schierke: I don't know. Since the passage of time doesn't exist in dreams.
Schierke: But there aren't many empty parts left in this doll. I think the end of our journey is near.

Schierke: And I think we are being led to the spiky mountain. I guess that's our final destination.
Schierke: It's filled with an enormously thick/strong malevolent aura
Schierke: That probably symbolizes the main cause that scattered Casca's mind

Schierke: The closer we approach, we'll encounter enemies that are much stronger than the enemies we've met, that can't even be compared with them

Page 20

Schierke: Stay alert and keep your chin up
Farnese: Yes!

Farnese: She's trembling...?
Farnese: It's alright, everything will be Ok

Farnese: Huh?
Farnese: Teacher, this girl is saying something
Schierke: I think it's because we've put a lot of fragments together

Sprite: There's somebody I want to meet

Page 21

Farnese: The one she wants to meet, that is...
Schierek: For sure...

Sprite: I want to meet him
Farnese: I'll let you meet this person, for sure
Farnese: Because it's what he also wants
 

Walter

Administrator
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Incredible! Thanks so much to Aaz and Puella for the translation.

A Golden Age highlights reel! So many scenes here, recast with Miura's current pen. It's finally happening — Farnese and Schierke are learning about Guts' past by way of learning about Casca's. Isidro is going to be so jealous when he finds out what he missed... :isidro:

And not only that, we get her emotions of each scene. Farnese' recounting of Casca's feelings of Guts' departure after the duel was very striking to me. Also...

Aazealh said:
Griffith: "Do you think you're chosen by god just because you were born a noble?"
Griffith: "If you have something to protect, take the sword"

Farnese: Ah, this feeling, it's as if I got hit on the head (overwhelming)
It's similar to what I conceive towards Guts

Huh, what a strange notion... So familiar, somehow. :badbone:

I was somewhat surprised Farnese didn't put 2+2 together when she saw Griffith in the memories. Afterall, she saw Griffith in Albion, and heard Guts speak his name. Too bad... Guess it wasn't the right moment.

Aazealh said:
What I find interesting is how varied the monsters are... and how fitting they are for the scenery. Very reminiscent of the Eclipse.

Certainly -- design elements of slan and the apostle who kills Judo are abstractly visible. It's like a glimpse of what we could see up on the mountain.

Speaking of which, Schierke confirms the obvious about what's next: the group will soon encounter enemies that they can't so easily suppress, and the mountain exudes a malevolent feeling (no shit? that spiky ominous black thing?) I can almost see it now: Femto unfurls his wings. The mountain itself is crumbling. Both the memory and the figure are too powerful to endure. They have to escape. In the final moment, they fit the final piece in the coffin, and they wake up... They see Danan pointing, and then...! EPISODE 352.
 

Aazealh

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Walter said:
A Golden Age highlights reel! So many scenes here, recast with Miura's current pen.

Indeed. A small regret is that we didn't see any memories highlighting events we didn't already know of. But I guess it makes sense if we think of the fragments as being related to the cause of all this.

Walter said:
It's finally happening — Farnese and Schierke are learning about Guts' past by way of learning about Casca's. Isidro is going to be so jealous when he finds out what he missed... :isidro:

Yep! It's exactly what I expected and I think it really makes perfect sense for future developments. It'll allow the girls to emphasize with Casca in a way that just knowing about Guts' past from his own perspective wouldn't. What I'm curious about is whether the group as a whole will eventually talk some more about Griffith (beyond what Guts shared with the gurus).

Walter said:
Huh, what a strange notion... So familiar, somehow. :badbone:

Haha, I have to say that I'm pretty happy this episode confirms everything I've always said about Casca's feelings for Griffith and Farnese' feeling for Guts (and how they're similar to one another). :guts:

Walter said:
I was somewhat surprised Farnese didn't put 2+2 together when she saw Griffith in the memories. Afterall, she saw Griffith in Albion, and heard Guts speak his name. Too bad... Guess it wasn't the right moment.

Yeah, both Farnese and Schierke have seen him, and they also both know from Guts' own mouth that he used to know him. I agree with you, I think it just wasn't the time. He's going to take center stage very soon, after all...

Walter said:
Certainly -- design elements of slan and the apostle who kills Judo are abstractly visible. It's like a glimpse of what we could see up on the mountain.

Yup... I quite liked the variety of critters we saw in this episode, and their uniqueness too. You'd think after 25 years Miura would be out of new designs to explore but I quite love all of these, with special mention to the, um, "tentacled balls".
 
On page 14, where Farnese put the love memory piece on the doll, it is shown a different monster from the ones before, and on the page after it seems as if it was following from distance the girls and the dog. I'm not sure if it's going to be relevant in the next episodes, as an attempt of Casca's conflicted feelings to thwart her own recovery, or if i'm just reading too much into it.
 

Aazealh

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Sancho said:
On page 14, where Farnese put the love memory piece on the doll, it is shown a different monster from the ones before, and on the page after it seems as if it was following from distance the girls and the dog. I'm not sure if it's going to be relevant in the next episodes, as an attempt of Casca's conflicted feelings to thwart her own recovery, or if i'm just reading too much into it.

I don't think this specific monster is going to be relevant, to me it's just there to show how varied the critters are and how much travel the girls do (through different locations inhabited by different creatures).
 
Aazealh said:
Indeed. A small regret is that we didn't see any memories highlighting events we didn't already know of. But I guess it makes sense if we think of the fragments as being related to the cause of all this.

I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but even more so in this episode I feel a sense of urgency and excitement directly from Miura through his art. It's almost as if he is exceptionally enthusiastic about what's coming next and can't wait to show the readers. Certainly it would be cool to see a few unique scenes and some more episodes in this dream sequence, but it's fun seeing Miura this passionate about his work (not that he isn't always passionate!). It's a great time to be reading Bersesrk. :guts:
 

Aazealh

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stein said:
I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but even more so in this episode I feel a sense of urgency and excitement directly from Miura through his art. It's almost as if he is exceptionally enthusiastic about what's coming next and can't wait to show the readers. Certainly it would be cool to see a few unique scenes and some more episodes in this dream sequence, but it's fun seeing Miura this passionate about his work (not that he isn't always passionate!). It's a great time to be reading Bersesrk. :guts:

Hahaha, I think you're projecting quite a bit here. :slan:
That being said, these certainly are exciting times to be a Berserk fan. But when hasn't it been? :void:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Wow, a life in the day of Casca, and an arc in an episode of Berserk. This has to up there as one of the most satisfying episodes I can remember, like a best of retrospective director's cut with commentary turned on, and I love how the memories of the past affect and relate to the characters now. Plus all the symbolism of the setting, the triggers to the memories and the simple but surreal monster designs (like they crawled out right from under your bed =); and I also appreciate that the significance of their presence is emphasized over showing them being dealt with, though it's cool to see those spells again too. All in all, one of the most fulfillimg episodes in recent memory, and that's impressive given we also just got to Elfhelm, and definitely a worthy build up to Casca's reawakening (I almost want to say ressurection). Man, if Miura is approaching the end game this is a hell of a start.
 

Grail

Feel the funk blast
Coming into the discussion a bit late, as usual these days (this is what happens when you wait till after the spoilers, kids! :judo: ). Thanks Puella and Aaz for the helpful summary.

The notion of a Rocky-esque montage was brought up as a possibility in the last episode's discussion, but like others, I didn't realize we'd get through so many memories so quickly. Looking back, I admit that I had anticipated that we'd spend a little more time on the memory of Guts and Casca's lovemaking. It felt like it was there and gone again very quickly. Then again, maybe my expectations were a little unrealistic - visually, it could have been a little awkward if there had been too much focus on this particular memory, given Casca's point-of-view during the whole thing. :ganishka: From a narrative perspective, Miura's always taken a less-is-more approach when it comes to memories of that scene, so I probably shouldn't have been surprised. In either case, I expect that we'll have plenty of time to catch up on the feelings behind these important moments once Casca's back in the saddle.

Little talking sprite-Casca was a definite highlight for me. Miura knows just when to pull out the little surprises that totally mushify your heart. It was so overwhelming to see something that had been kind of unspoken the last few episodes finally bubbling to the surface: "There's somebody I want to meet." I'm getting chills just thinking about it!

In closing, I'll leave it at this: get your hankies ready for 351, people. :badbone:
 
Just read the spoilers and the summary (thanks Aaz and puella as always!). I love reading about possible theories on the imagery of this episode. Those creatures - super creepy >_<. I'm scared of spiders and seeing them just plop off the ground like that and attack them was just ... eeeeeeiiiiikk. Takes me back to those long legged creepy crawlies in episode 321. *goosebumps*

Could there be a possibility that the person Casca wants to see is either the Moonlight Boy or Griffith? If it were Griffith, I'd imagine the reason for her seeing him would be to ask "Why?". As I type this I don't think she'd want to necessarily see the Moonlight Boy if it were a contest between Guts and Griffith but I thought of him because that's another 'he' in her life. Hmmm ... none of that sounds plausible to be honest but I can't shake off the feeling ...

I love the way/ method each memory is tapped into. Genius.

Grail said:
In closing, I'll leave it at this: get your hankies ready for 351, people. :badbone:

I'm ready (I think)!
 

Aazealh

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IncantatioN said:
Could there be a possibility that the person Casca wants to see is either the Moonlight Boy or Griffith?

No, not really. It's obviously Guts, as Farnese and Schierke point out at the end of the episode. And even without that, really, it's pretty clear given the memories we've been shown.
 

Menosgade

Not all those who wander are lost
Grail said:
Little talking sprite-Casca was a definite highlight for me. Miura knows just when to pull out the little surprises that totally mushify your heart. It was so overwhelming to see something that had been kind of unspoken the last few episodes finally bubbling to the surface: "There's somebody I want to meet." I'm getting chills just thinking about it!

I'd say that is the sole most important point of this episode. It's the first time we see Caska expressing herself with words. Sure, she didn't physically say them, but I'd say that's even better, because they couldn't express anything but a deep and true feeling inside her dreams. We got a very good clue on what, as SK would say, she really wants.
 

Aazealh

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Menosgade said:
I'd say that is the sole most important point of this episode.

I'd say Farnese's reactions and mindset throughout the episode are pretty important too.

Menosgade said:
It's the first time we see Casca expressing herself with words. Sure, she didn't physically say them, but I'd say that's even better, because they couldn't express anything but a deep and true feeling inside her dreams. We got a very good clue on what, as SK would say, she really wants.

You're right, but keep in mind her psyche hasn't been completely fixed yet. The final piece(s) might radically alter how she feels. What they're about to face is what broke her (and created that world) in the first place.
 

jackson_hurley

even the horses are cut in half!
Aazealh said:
What they're about to face is what broke her (and created that world) in the first place.

I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. One thing for sure is it's probly gonna be heartwrentching.
 
Truly amazing. I can't add much that hasn't been said already, but one thing making me curious is the pace. We could be at that last piece next episode, :femto: or perhaps the next few episodes. Hard to tell. Our Casca is almost back.
 

Blade

Master of the Simulacrum
Walter said:
I was somewhat surprised Farnese didn't put 2+2 together when she saw Griffith in the memories. Afterall, she saw Griffith in Albion, and heard Guts speak his name. Too bad... Guess it wasn't the right moment.

I don't know about that. Farnese was present when the old Wizards were talking about the Hawk of Light earlier, though she was busy watching Casca, I'm sure she heard about Guts' connection to Griffith when they were asking him questions. Maybe not in name, but she'd recognize the face.

I think once they confront the truth (and Casca's emotions), things will be more concrete in how the state of the world has become.

Still, what happens next could be anything, regardless of Casca!
 

Walter

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Blade said:
I don't know about that. Farnese was present when the old Wizards were talking about the Hawk of Light earlier, though she was busy watching Casca, I'm sure she heard about Guts' connection to Griffith when they were asking him questions. Maybe not in name, but she'd recognize the face.

I'm confused, what are you disagreeing with? Are you saying this episode was the right time for Miura to make Farnese realize who that wavy-haired man is and what his role is in everything? I mean, I do think a small acknowledgement could have been achieved in a panel, with a full revelation saved for when it made more sense in the story. But I also assume Miura considered that and discarded it for his own reasons. I think it would have distracted from everything else already happening in this crowded episode.

I think once they confront the truth (and Casca's emotions), things will be more concrete in how the state of the world has become.

What does that have to do with your previous sentences?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I think there's going to be plenty of Griffith soon enough, and there's rightfully so much shine on Casca, Guts, Farnese, and Schierke in this episode that it almost distracts from the fact that soon they'll be informed about Griffith's character and current relationship to Guts and Casca in the most stark way possible.
 
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